Polish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski announced that Poland and Ukraine had decided not to return under Russian rule.
Speaking in an interview with Ukrainian media outlets on the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day, Sikorski said the two countries would not become Russia’s “colonies.” He accused Moscow of continuing what he described as an imperial policy toward its neighbors that has persisted for centuries.
Warsaw warns Moscow over borders
Sikorski argued that security concerns regarding Russia could not be described as “Russophobia.” He said these concerns stemmed from Russia’s history of military expansion and attempts to assimilate neighboring peoples.
The Polish foreign minister said Moscow posed a real threat to neighboring countries and stated that Russia must respect internationally recognized borders and abandon its imperial ambitions. Sikorski said, “Russians must decide definitively where Russia ends.”
Assessing Russia’s efforts to claim the legacy of the Principality of Kyiv, Sikorski argued that this was part of a broader historical effort aimed at subjugating Ukraine as well as other countries in the region.
War in Ukraine increases pressure on Russia’s budget
Sikorski said he wanted Poland and Ukraine to become “normal countries” that respect their neighbors’ borders and focus on their own development rather than expanding their territories.
Speaking about the war in Ukraine, Sikorski claimed that Russia had suffered approximately 1.5 million military casualties. He argued that Moscow relies heavily on contract soldiers, recruitment bonuses, debt cancellations and compensation payments to soldiers’ families.
Sikorski said these measures were increasing pressure on Russia’s state budget and stated that a broader mobilization would carry additional political and economic risks for Moscow. The estimate of approximately 1.5 million Russian military casualties has not been independently verified.
Tensions between Poland and Ukraine
Poland is among the countries providing Ukraine with the strongest political and military support in the European Union and NATO. Nevertheless, tensions exist between the two countries over agricultural products and attitudes toward Polish victims massacred in western Ukraine during World War II.
