PROVINCE REPORT
MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has criticised Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s remarks defending individuals suspected by German authorities of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
Responding to a media question, Zakharova said Tusk’s call for Germany to abandon the prosecution of the suspects carried a “perilous and destructive” message for the international legal order.
She argued that publicly justifying an alleged terrorist attack on major energy infrastructure could weaken restraints governing relations between European states and contribute to instability.
Zakharova further warned that Warsaw’s position on the Nord Stream case could eventually harm Poland’s own security and vital interests. She also described Tusk’s remarks as reflecting longstanding Polish-German rivalry and competing political and economic interests within the European Union and NATO.
According to Zakharova, the Nord Stream dispute is increasingly becoming a source of political and economic losses for Germany while creating new risks for Poland.
