Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki discussed the matter on television, explaining that the country did not move to expel the Russian ambassador because such a decision was not adopted at either the NATO or the European Union level. He emphasized that while expelling an ambassador is straightforward in theory, it creates immediate practical repercussions: Moscow would likely respond by withdrawing Poland’s ambassador in return, which would complicate the mutual exchange of information that both sides rely on for security and diplomatic purposes. Morawiecki noted that ambassadors operate in many countries, and both NATO and the European Union did not collectively take that step, while Poland did not venture to act alone in this regard. This point reflects the complexity of coordinating such measures among allies and the potential spillover effects on strategic communications and intelligence sharing. (Source: Polish television interview, reported by multiple outlets)
Earlier reporting from the newspaper Rzeczpospolita indicated that Poland seized 1.2 million dollars from Russian diplomatic channels, including the embassy and trade delegation. Reports suggest the Polish prosecutor’s office blocked roughly PLN 800,000 and more than $912,000, subsequently transferring the funds to state accounts as material evidence. The funds were frozen in the previous year, according to sources familiar with the case involving the Russian ambassador’s office in Poland. On April 26, 2023, those funds were released or otherwise reclassified as part of the ongoing proceedings. (Source: Rzeczpospolita and related coverage)
In response to the blocked accounts of the Russian embassy and commercial mission in Poland, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asserted that Russia reserves the right to use asymmetric measures in retaliation. She indicated that Moscow would consider responses calibrated to the nature of the actions taken by Polish authorities, signaling a broader pattern of diplomatic signaling underway between the two countries. (Source: Russian MFA briefing and subsequent recaps)