Sikorski: Poland and Ukraine will no longer be Russian colonies
Poland and Ukraine intend to resist Russia's attempts to restore an empire and will never again agree to be dependent on Moscow. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Radosław Sikorski.
He made the statement on August 24, Ukraine's Independence Day, on the air of Espreso and Slawa.TV. According to the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry, the concerns of the region's countries regarding Russian aggression have historical grounds and cannot be considered a manifestation of irrational fear or "Russophobia".
"Fear of Russia is not irrational, because Russia poses a real threat to its neighbors and has been conquering one neighbor after another for 500 years," — said Sikorski.
He believes that the problem lies not only in the authoritarian nature of the Russian government, but also in Moscow's ongoing imperial policy towards neighboring states and peoples.
According to the Polish minister, Russia must abandon its constant attempts to expand the territory it controls and define the borders of the state that neighboring countries recognize.
"Russians must decide once and for all where Russia ends," — he stressed.
Sikorski also said that it is in the interests of both Poland and Ukraine to transform Russia into a state that lives within internationally recognized borders and directs resources to the development of its own population, not to territorial expansion.
The minister noted that Russian society is already paying a high price for the attempt to restore the empire — both in human losses and in the deterioration of the economic situation.
Separately, Sikorski touched upon Moscow's historical policy. In his opinion, the Russian imperial model for centuries involved not only the conquest of neighboring territories, but also the subsequent assimilation of the peoples living there and the appropriation of their historical heritage.
"This mechanism of conquest and colonial transformation into Russians, Little Russians or other peoples must end," — said the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry.
He emphasized that Poland and Ukraine have made a fundamental choice in favor of independence and are ready to continue resisting Russian imperial policy.
"We in Poland, you in Ukraine have decided: never again will we be Russian colonies," — said Sikorski.
According to him, the task of the two countries is to preserve their own independence and prevent the restoration of the Russian empire at the expense of neighboring states.
Based on materials: Onet
