PM accuses former FM of feeding Russian propaganda
Poland's prime minister has castigated former Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski over a tweet he posted earlier in the week suggesting the US was behind apparent sabotage of Russia-Germany gas pipelines.
On Wednesday, Sikorski tweeted an image of gas leaking from the Nord Stream gas pipeline following an apparent act of sabotage with the comment: "Thank you, USA," sparking condemnation from the Polish government.
On Friday, the UN Security Council rejected a draft resolution tabled by the US and Albania condemning Russian attempts to annex four regions of eastern and southern Ukraine. The resolution was opposed by Russia, which has the power of veto.
The move prompted a speech by a Russian diplomat, who thanked Sikorski for his Nord Stream tweet.
In reference to the incident, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Facebook on Saturday that "in the course of a Security Council sitting a symbolic scene played out: the Russian representative thanked Radoslaw Sikorski for a comment on social media that was very harmful to the West but very useful to the Russian propaganda apparatus."
Morawiecki said the tweet put an end to the "myth" of Sikorski as a seasoned diplomat but typified the Polish opposition's politics.
"Once Mr Sikorski was famous for effusive gestures towards (Russian Foreign Minister - PAP) Sergey Lavrov, today he's helped the Kremlin's propaganda machine," Morawiecki wrote.
The prime minister added that, "hatred of political opponents should never lead to supporting the interests of states openly hostile to Poland."
"An elementary sense of national interests is obligatory for every Polish politician and every Polish political party," Morawiecki wrote.
Since Monday, several gas leaks have occurred around the Danish island of Bornholm from the Nord Stream 1 and 2 Russia-Germany gas pipelines. Seismological stations in Denmark, Sweden, Poland and Germany registered tremors indicative of underwater explosions.
