Tusk says extraditing Nord Stream suspect to Germany is 'not in Poland's interest'

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said it is not in the country's interest to extradite a Ukrainian man to Germany for his alleged involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions.

The Ukrainian suspect, Volodymyr Z, who is wanted in Germany in connection with the September 2022 blasts, was detained near Warsaw in late September.

A Polish court ruled on Monday that he must remain in custody for another 40 days while it considers Germany's request to extradite him under a European arrest warrant.

Speaking on Tuesday, Tusk said it was ultimately the court's decision to decide whether to hand over Volodymyr Z to Germany — and that the government would not interfere.

However, he once again stated Poland's opposition to the pipelines, which it has long argued made Europe too dependent on Russian energy.

"The problem of Europe, the problem of Ukraine, the problem of Lithuania and Poland is not that Nord Stream 2 was blown up, but that it was built," Tusk told a press conference.

"It is certainly not in the interest of Poland ... to hand over this citizen to a foreign country," he added.

Explosions on 26 September 2022 damaged the Nord Stream pipelines, which were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

The damage added to tensions over the war in Ukraine as European countries moved to wean themselves off Russian energy sources following Moscow's full-scale invasion in early 2022.

The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement last month that Volodymyr Z was a trained diver and part of a group of people who were suspected of renting a yacht and planting explosives on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm.

Volodymyr Z has denied any wrongdoing and will fight extradition to Germany, according to his Polish lawyer.

Another Ukrainian man — Serhii K — was arrested in Italy last month in connection with the explosions. An Italian appeals court approved his extradition to Germany, but the suspect is appealing the decision to Italy’s highest Cassation Court.

The explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was Russia’s main natural gas supply route to Germany until Moscow cut off supplies at the end of August 2022.

They also damaged the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which never became operational because Germany suspended its certification process shortly before Russia went on an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Moscow accused the US of carrying out the explosions, a charge Washington denies.

The pipelines were long criticised by the US and some of its allies, who warned that they posed a risk to Europe's energy security by increasing dependence on Russian gas.

In 2023, media in Germany reported that a pro-Ukraine group was involved in the sabotage of the pipelines. Kyiv rejected suggestions that it had ordered the attack and German officials voiced caution over the accusation.