LIVE UPDATES: Excluding Russia From Nord Stream Probe Will Not Bring Objective Results - Envoy to UN

Excluding Russia from the investigation into the attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines will bring about doubts about its objectivity, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said.

"If somebody thinks that they can investigate by excluding Russia from the investigation, I think that we [will] have reasons to doubt the objectivity of this investigation," Nebenzia said after a UN Security Council meeting on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.

The Biden administration has so far denied involvement in the attacks on both the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.

"These capabilities, these ships are collecting information, data, which can be helpful both for the ongoing investigation, but also to monitor this critical energy infrastructure," Stoltenberg added.

"I really have nothing to say to the absurd allegation from President Putin that we are, or other partners or allies are somehow responsible for this, but we will get to the bottom of what happened, and we'll share that information as soon we have it, but I don't want to get ahead of the investigation," Blinken told said during a joint press conference with his Canadian counterpart, Melanie Joly.

Linde said she published the statement ahead of the urgent meeting of the UN Security Council concerning the attack on Friday evening so that the discussion "remains fact-based."

European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson and other EU energy ministers fear that the winter will not be easy, and the next one will be even more difficult.

"Ministers were concerned, so am I, this will not be an easy winter for us, and next winter will be even more difficult" European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said at a press conference after the extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers.

On Monday, terrorist attacks occurred on Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipelines in Danish waters near the island of Bornholm. The Swedish and Danish authorities said they had discovered two gas leaks caused by undersea explosions, with the consensus being that the incident was a result of sabotage.

The operator of Nord Stream 1 has assessed that the gas leak on the pipeline will last until October 2, while there are no information about Nord Stream 2 yet, the permanent missions of Sweden and Denmark to the United Nations said on Friday.

"The operator of Nord Stream 1 has assessed that the leaks will continue until October 2. A similar assessment from Nord Stream 2 remains pending," the missions said in a joint letter published by Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde on Twitter.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that he had discussed the emergency situation at the Nord Stream gas pipelines with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a phone conversation.

"Good call with @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz. Thanked him for #Germany's continued support to #Ukraine at this critical time. We also discussed the Nordstream sabotage. We support ongoing investigations & enhanced #NATO vigilance," Stoltenberg tweeted.

The Swedish Maritime Authority extended the recommended distance ships should keep from the area of the leaks at Nord Stream pipelines to 7 nautical miles, the Swedish Coast Guard said on Friday.

"The Swedish Maritime Authority is currently delivering navigational warnings to ships in order to now secure a distance of seven nautical miles from the incident areas," the message read, adding that previously, the recommended distance was five nautical miles.

The coast guard also noted that it was monitoring gas leaks in the area and ensuring safe passage for ships.

Danish officials at a NATO meeting on Wednesday said the Nord Stream gas pipelines were damaged by two explosions, each with the force of over 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) of TNT, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials familiar with the matter.

The United States is the main beneficiary of the emergency situation at the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said on Friday.

"Literally from the first minutes after reports of explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, the West launched an active campaign to find those responsible. However, it is obvious that the main beneficiary, primarily economic, is the United States," Patrushev said at a meeting of the heads of intelligence agencies of the CIS countries.

The official recalled that a similar situation with the undermining of an underwater pipeline in the port of Puerto Sandino in Nicaragua already took place in October 1983.

"It is necessary to make a coordinated effort to expose the customers and perpetrators of this crime, which would be a good example of our effective interaction," he added.