Polish President Andrzej Duda has called for the complete dismantling of the Nord Stream pipelines, which were partially damaged in September 2022. In an interview with the BBC, Duda stated that no Western European country, including Germany, should ever receive Russian gas supplies, even in the event of a peace agreement in Ukraine.
The Polish president expressed his hope that European leaders would learn a lesson from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and make a decision to ensure that the gas pipeline is never operational again. He described Nord Stream as a “very big threat for Ukraine, for Poland, for Slovakia and for other Central European countries”as it would mean economic dominance by Russia over Europe.
Duda emphasized, “I believe the Nord Stream pipelines should be dismantled.”
The pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea, was damaged in an attack in September 2022, leaving three of the four strings inoperable. The fourth string, part of the Nord Stream 2 project, remains functional and can be brought online at any time, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who stated that the decision depends on the willingness of the German government.
Germany had previously relied on the pipeline to meet a significant portion of its natural gas needs, but the pipeline’s shutdown has led to increased gas and energy prices across Europe, particularly affecting the German industry, which had previously profited from the cheap Russian gas.