Extradiction of Ukrainian suspected of blowing up NS2 not Poland's interest, says PM
It is certainly not in Poland's interest, nor in the interest of common decency, to accuse or extradite to another country a Ukrainian citizen whom the German prosecutor's office accuses of involvement in the bombing of Nord Stream 2, the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a briefing after his meeting with the Prime Minister of Lithuania. He also noted that the decision rests with the Polish court.
"The Polish government's position has not changed (...). It is certainly not in Poland's interest, nor in the interest of common decency and justice, to accuse or extradite this citizen to another country," Tusk said, referring to the detention in Poland of a Ukrainian citizen whom the German prosecutor's office accuses of participating in the bombing of Nord Stream 2.
"The decision will be up to the court, but our position here is clear," he added.
As the Prime Minister assessed, the problem for Europe, Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland is not that Nord Stream 2 was blown up, but that it was built. Tusk recalled that "many months ago", the former German chancellor and President Zelensky were presented with Poland's very clear position.
"From our point of view, the only people who should be ashamed and should remain silent on the issue of Nord Stream 2 are those who decided to build it," Tusk said.
As he pointed out, the matter unexpectedly reappared on the agenda in connection with the return to Poland of Volodymyr Z. The man had been sought under a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe, on suspicion of constitutional sabotage, property destruction and damage to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, offences carrying a penalty of up to 15 years in prison under German law.
On Monday, September 6, a Warsaw district court has extended the custody of Volodymyr Z., a Ukrainian citizen, for 40 more days, due to suspicions regarding his involvement in the Nord Stream pipeline explosions that happened in 2022 between Russia and Germany.
The court did not approve the prosecutor's full request for a 100-day extension, opting instead for a temporary custody period of 40 days, the suspect's defence lawyer Tymoteusz Paprocki said on Monday.
The destruction of three of the four Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines occurred on September 26, 2022, more than seven months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at a depth of around 80 metres on the Baltic Sea bed.
The 49-year-old suspect asserts that he had no involvement in the attack and claims he was in Ukraine at the time it took place.
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