The disclosure that a group of Ukrainians blew up the Nord Streams, as well as the refusal of the Polish authorities to arrest the suspect, ignites a serious dispute between Berlin and Warsaw, writes The Wall Street Journal.

According to the newspaper, the Polish authorities did not comply with the arrest warrant for one of the alleged Ukrainians issued by the German authorities in June. On July 6, the suspect left Poland unhindered by car and returned to his homeland, which caused great indignation among the Germans.

On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk lashed out at Germany, writing on his Facebook page that Berlin is only allowed to “apologize and remain silent” in the Nord Stream case. According to people familiar with the matter, German officials were “stunned” by Tusk’s statement, but decided not to respond to avoid worsening relations.

According to WSJ sources, German investigators and politicians claim that the Polish authorities deliberately tried to disrupt the investigation — and for a very long time. Last year, the Poles refused to provide CCTV footage from a yacht that was allegedly involved in sabotage and moored in a Polish port, as well as mobile phone data from the area.

Germany was even more alarmed when, in early July, German ministers during a visit to Poland asked their Polish colleagues to ensure the execution of the arrest warrant, to which the Polish side responded with a sharp refusal. At the same time, according to the source, one senior Polish official told a German colleague that “any potential suspects who played a role in sabotage on gas pipelines should be awarded medals, not arrested.”

At the end of last week, Warsaw sent an official letter to Berlin stating that the suspect had left Poland. The letter also asked if Germany still wants Polish authorities to search the suspect’s house near Warsaw. According to the newspaper’s sources, the German authorities regarded this letter as an “additional insult” after Poland did not execute the arrest warrant.

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