Polish leader tells Nord Stream supporters to ‘Stay Silent’ as pipeline controversy begins
Polish leader tells Nord Stream supporters to ‘Stay Silent’ as pipeline controversy begins
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized reports of Nord Stream pipeline explosions.
- Germany partnered with Russia on the pipeline project.
- Poland’s deputy prime minister denied reports
On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded to reports raising new questions about who was responsible for the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions. Tusk stated that the initiators of the gas pipeline project should “apologize and keep quiet.” His remark followed a denial from one of his deputies, who rejected claims that Warsaw was partly responsible for the damage.
On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukrainian authorities were responsible for sabotaging the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in September 2022. This dramatic act severed Germany from a critical energy source and intensified Europe’s energy crisis.
Germany partnered with Russia on the pipeline project, while Poland has consistently stated that Nord Stream has harmed its security interests.
“To all the initiators and patrons of Nord Stream 1 and 2. The only thing you should do today about it is apologize and keep quiet,” Tusk wrote on the social media portal X Saturday.
Tusk appeared to respond directly to a claim by August Hanning, the former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency. In an interview with the German daily “Die Welt”, Hanning suggested that the attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines must have had Poland’s support. He also stated that Germany should consider pursuing compensation from both Poland and Ukraine.
Hanning, now retired from his position as spy chief, offered no evidence to support his claim. Some observers pointed out that he had served under former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who later worked for Russian state-owned energy companies, including Nord Stream.
In an interview with Polsat on Friday, Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland’s deputy prime minister and minister of digital affairs, strongly denied reports accusing Poland and Ukraine of damaging the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
Gawkowski claimed that the former German intelligence member’s comments were “inspired by Moscow” and intended to destabilize NATO countries.
“I believe that this is the sound of Russian disinformation,” he added.
On Wednesday, Polish prosecutors confirmed they had received a warrant for a Ukrainian man wanted by Germany as a suspect in the pipeline attack. However, he left the country before authorities could arrest him. Despite opposition from Poland, the US, and Ukraine, the Nord Stream project proceeded, with its two pipelines designed to transport gas from Russia to Europe along the Baltic Sea bed.
The pipelines allowed Russia to send gas directly to Western Europe, bypassing Poland and Ukraine. Previously, gas had traveled over land, and Warsaw and Kyiv feared losing substantial transit fees and the political leverage associated with controlling the gas routes.
In its report published Thursday, “The Wall Street Journal” stated that it interviewed four senior Ukrainian defense and security officials who either participated in or had direct knowledge of the plot. All of them asserted that the pipelines were a legitimate target in Ukraine’s defense against Russia. Ukrainian authorities are denying these claims.
Nord Stream 1 was completed and went online in 2011. Nord Stream 2 was finished in the fall of 2021 but never became operational due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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