German minister unruffled by refusal to extradite Nord Stream suspect

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Friday downplayed a Polish court's refusal to extradite a suspect in connection with the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines.

"A court decision has been made in Poland, which I respect because we recognize the separation of powers," he said in response to a question from a journalist during a visit to the Turkish capital Ankara.

"If court decisions have been made, especially in other countries, then I believe it is not the job of the executive to interfere."

The attack on the German-Russian prestige project made international headlines in September 2022.

Six months after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several explosions hit the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Four leaks were subsequently found on three of the four lines.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline had carried gas to Germany directly from Russia. The almost finished Nord Stream 2 never went into operation as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A Polish court ruled on Friday that a suspect in the case should not be extradited from Poland to Germany. The court also cancelled the pre-trial detention of 46-year-old suspect, Ukrainian Volodymyr Z, the PAP news agency reported.

On Wednesday, the highest Italian court stopped the extradition of another suspect in the case who was arrested in Italy.