The Kremlin on Wednesday said claims that Russia was somehow behind an attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines were stupid, adding that Moscow saw a sharp increase the profits of U.S. companies supplying gas to Europe.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily conference call with reporters that the incident needed to be investigated and the timings for repair of the damaged pipelines were not clear.

Europe has been investigating what Germany, Denmark and Sweden said were attacks which had caused major leaks into the Baltic Sea from two Russian gas pipelines at the centre of an energy standoff. (Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)