Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski reportedly discussed offering protection to Ukrainian national Vladimir Z

Poland was ready to grant asylum to a suspect in the Nord Stream bombing, the newspaper Rzeczpospolita has reported, citing sources.

The two Nord Stream pipelines, built to carry Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea, were damaged in a sabotage attack in September 2022. German prosecutors attributed the explosions to a small group of Ukrainian nationals.

Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski repeatedly said in conversations that he was prepared to grant asylum in Poland to one suspect, identified as Vladimir Z., and even honor him with a state decoration, the paper wrote on Thursday.

Vladimir Z., described as a diving instructor, had reportedly been living near Warsaw. After German prosecutors issued a European arrest warrant for him, the Polish authorities did not detain him, and he later fled to Ukraine.

German officials questioned why Poland failed to act and the escape strained relations between the two countries. The Polish authorities argued that nothing has been proven against Vladimir Z., reportedly telling their counterparts, "Why should we detain him? For us, he's a hero."

Warsaw has been one of Kiev's staunchest backers since 2022, supplying weapons and pressing the EU and NATO to impose tougher sanctions on Moscow. Polish officials, including Sikorski, were also opposed to Nord Stream in the first place, which bypassed Poland as a transit country and deprived it of gas revenues.

The German investigation has already led to the arrest of another suspect, former military officer Sergey Kuznetsov, detained in Italy in August. Prosecutors allege he coordinated a team that rented a yacht and planted explosives on the pipelines using commercial diving gear.

Moscow has rejected Berlin's version, dismissing the claim that a small group of Ukrainians carried out the sabotage as "ridiculous." After Kuznetsov's arrest, Russia called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting, accusing German officials of a lack of transparency and frequent leaks to the press.

Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said the German authorities were trying to cover up the true circumstances by blaming a private "scapegoat." President Vladimir Putin suggested the US likely orchestrated the sabotage, while Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service claimed it had "credible information" that US and British agents were involved.

(RT.com)