Polish FM: Defeating Putin 'morally sound, strategically wise'

Helping Ukraine defeat Russia is morally, strategically, and economically wise, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in a speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 26.

Sikorski urged the United States to provide Ukraine with desperately needed military aid.

"It is morally sound, strategically wise, militarily justified, and economically beneficial," he said.

U.S. funding for Ukraine has run dry while a security assistance package worth $61 billion languishes in Congress. The funding delay has severely exacerbated ammunition shortages on Ukraine's front lines.

Sikorski, a Polish official whose wife is American and whose son is a U.S. soldier, laid out three steps necessary to create "a more secure and stable world," beginning with arming Ukraine.  

"First, back Ukrainians with the ammo they urgently need," he said.

Sikorski then called on Western allies to "invest in our security" in order to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from further aggression, and lastly to "deepen and widen our alliances."

"If we choose to abandon Ukraine, or do it by default, Putin will come to understand — as will other adversaries around the world — that he can get away with whatever he wants," he said.

In his speech, Sikorski said that a Russian victory in Ukraine would not lead to peace, but rather invite further conflict and global instability. His warnings echo those of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and other Western officials who have said Putin's ambitions will not end in Ukraine.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I realize that appeasement may seem an easier path but it is in fact a dead end," Sikorski said.

With Russian aggression drawing closer to its borders, Poland has pledged to significantly increase the size of its armed forces. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said in September 2023 that he believed Poland would soon amass a force of 300,000 soldiers, making it the largest land army in Europe.

A survey published on Feb. 22 by the Polish media outlet RMF24 revealed that nearly 50% of Poles believe a Russian attack on Poland is "likely."

‘Our reserves will run out:’ Ukrainian artillery sounds alarm on Western shell shortage

Hiding beneath sparse winter cover in a crude, muddy ditch, a great steel monster lies in wait for an opportunity to attack. Adorned on either side with painted plus signs, the gun’s huge barrel looks up at the sky over the Bakhmut front line, across which thousands

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell