Prime Minister Donald Tusk has ruled out extraditing Volodymyr Z., a Ukrainian national accused by Germany of involvement in the Nord Stream explosions, insisting that Poland’s priority is justice and sovereignty rather than handing him over to another state.

Speaking in Warsaw alongside Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, Tusk made clear that Warsaw’s stance on the case has been consistent since he first outlined it to both Berlin and Kyiv months ago.

“In Poland’s interest – and in the name of fairness – it is not our role to accuse this man or to surrender him to another jurisdiction,” Tusk told reporters.

The Prime Minister turned his criticism towards Nord Stream 2 itself, calling the gas pipeline a project built “against Europe’s collective interest.” He argued that the true scandal was not its destruction but its construction. 

“Those who should hang their heads in shame over Nord Stream 2 are the ones who authorised its building,” he added.

Tusk also rejected claims that any Polish government had ever supported the controversial project. 

“Anyone suggesting otherwise is spreading falsehoods and damaging Poland’s good name,” he said.

Volodymyr Z. was arrested in Poland on 30 September under a European arrest warrant (ENA) issued by Germany’s Federal Court of Justice on charges of sabotage and destruction of the pipeline. He is currently held in Warsaw, where a district court has extended his detention until 9 November. The court has 100 days to review German documentation before deciding on extradition.

The Nord Stream pipelines, carrying Russian gas to Germany, were severely damaged in September 2022 in explosions on the Baltic seabed. Z., who is 49, denies any involvement and claims he was in Ukraine at the time.

Photo: @nexta_tv/X

Tomasz Modrzejewski