Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto blasted Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s comments on the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline on 8 October.
Hungarian FM attacks Tusk’s Nord Stream remarks
Peter Szijjarto reacted on Wednesday, 8 October, to a post by Donald Tusk claiming the gas pipeline was blown up in the air. Tusk stated that nothing would happen if the pipeline was detonated, a claim that Szijjarto called shocking and warned could lead to further unacceptable acts. The Hungarian minister said that Europe must not tolerate leaders who justify terrorism.
He also noted that the Hungarian government remains opposed to detaching from Russian raw‑material dependence. Tusk had earlier said the problem with Nord Stream 2 was that it was built, not that it had been bombed.
Polish and Ukrainian concerns about Nord Stream
If Nord Stream 2 had become operational, it would have allowed Russia to bypass the older gas line that runs through Ukraine and Poland, thereby weakening those countries’ security and financial position. The transit route would have removed payments that the two countries received for gas carried over their territory.
The State Institute of International Affairs noted that the investment reinforced economic and political ties between Russia and Germany, deepening divisions within EU member states. Nord Stream 2 was finished in 2021 but never put into use due to the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
Sabotage of Nord Stream
On 26 September 2022, three of the four Nord Stream 1 and 2 lines were destroyed. The suspected perpetrator is a Ukrainian citizen named Volodymyr Z., who was arrested on 30 September in the Pruszków suburb with his family. He denies the charge and faces up to 15 years in prison. He is currently held in a temporary detention centre, with his release date extended to 9 November.
