Germany-Poland tensions escalate over Nord Stream investigation

The revelation that a Ukrainian team used Poland as a logistical base to sabotage the Nord Stream pipelines has ignited a diplomatic row between Berlin and Warsaw, both US allies supporting Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized Germany following a nearly two-year investigation revealing that Ukrainians carried out the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022 using a rented yacht and a six-member crew, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

German authorities had issued an arrest warrant in June for one suspect, who then fled to Ukraine, escalating tensions.

Tusk condemned the "initiators and patrons" of the Nord Stream pipelines, urging them to apologize and remain silent. Meanwhile, Polish prosecutors notified their German counterparts that the suspect had left Poland and inquired whether German investigators still wanted Polish authorities to search his residence near Warsaw. This move was perceived by Germany as "adding insult to injury," given the prior inaction on the arrest warrant.

Polish prosecutors publicly stated that they did not arrest the suspect immediately because German authorities had failed to include the suspect’s address in a European register when requesting his detention. German officials dispute this claim. Polish authorities also noted that the country’s internal security service, ABW, needed to review the case before any arrest could be made.

The friction between Warsaw and Berlin, which erupted publicly over the weekend, had been simmering for months. German investigators and politicians have accused Poland of attempting to obstruct the investigation. Last year, Polish authorities allegedly withheld CCTV footage of the yacht involved in the sabotage, as well as mobile phone data from the area, according to German sources. Poland’s ABW denied these claims, asserting that the footage had been automatically overwritten after 30 days, as per standard procedure.

Despite their close cooperation, with mutual policing powers in border areas, tensions rose when Polish prosecutors informed German authorities that they could not proceed with the arrest until ABW reviewed the case. This prompted Berlin to escalate the issue to the highest levels of the Polish government.

On July 2, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other cabinet ministers visited Warsaw for a joint session with Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government. This meeting, a long-standing tradition aimed at strengthening relations between the two nations, focused on ensuring the execution of the arrest warrant.

The Poles refused to cooperate with the arrest request, with one senior Polish official reportedly telling a German counterpart that any potential suspects involved in the pipeline sabotage should be awarded medals rather than face arrest. The suspect in question left Poland by car on July 6 and crossed into Ukraine. All suspects in the German investigation are now believed to be in Ukraine, which does not extradite its own citizens.