Polish top diplomat warns of further Russian consulate closures

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has warned that Russia's remaining consulates in Poland could be shut down.

Sikorski confirmed the closure of the Russian consulate in Poznań, adding that further closures could follow if tensions continue, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

"I have closed the consulate in Poznań. If they don't stop, we will close the remaining ones," he told journalists following a meeting of foreign ministers from European countries in the "Weimar Triangle Plus" format in Warsaw.

Meanwhile, on November 18, Sikorski proposed that Ukraine could take over Russia’s consulate in Poznań after it was shut down due to alleged sabotage activities against Poland. Sikorski expelled Russian diplomats last month and ordered the consulate’s closure, citing security concerns.

On November 16, he told journalists that Russia’s lease on the property expires at the end of November, adding, “We would certainly look with great sympathy at a request from the Ukrainian side” to take over the site, as reported by Wirtualna Polska.

Sikorski also noted that Ukraine’s current network of consulates in Poland does not meet the growing demand, with nearly 1 million Ukrainian refugees and hundreds of thousands of economic migrants, as well as students, in the country.

"Today’s network of Ukrainian consulates, taking into account the unprecedented increase in the number of Ukrainian citizens in Poland, does not reflect consular needs," he explained.

Poland has experienced a number of incidents this year, including a fire at Warsaw’s largest shopping centre, which the government has attributed to Russian sabotage. Sikorski has accused Russia of “conducting a form of hybrid warfare against Poland,” including cyberattacks and sabotage.

By Aghakazim Guliyev