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Polish FM: 'We should respond to the latest onslaught on Ukraine in language that Putin understands'

2 min read
Polish FM: 'We should respond to the latest onslaught on Ukraine in language that Putin understands'
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in a photo on March 23, 2019. (Mateusz Wlodarczyk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called on Jan. 3 for the provision of long-range missiles to Ukraine and tighter sanctions against Russia in response to a recent mass strike against Ukrainian cities.

Russian forces launched nearly 100 missiles and 35 drones against Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, and Kharkiv on Jan. 2, killing five people and injuring 130, including children.

"We should respond to the latest onslaught on Ukraine in language that (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin understands," the Polish foreign minister wrote on the social media platform X.

Sikorski said that Ukraine's allies should respond "by tightening sanctions so that he (Putin) cannot make new weapons with smuggled components and by giving Kyiv long-range missiles that will enable it to take out launch sites and command centers."

As Poland shares a border with Ukraine, concerns are mounting that mass strikes against Ukrainian territory may threaten Polish security as well.

Warsaw said that during an earlier attack on Dec. 29, a Russian missile briefly entered Polish airspace, which Moscow denied. The Polish Air Force scrambled its jet fighters during the Jan. 2 strike.

Most of 2,500 foreign components Ukraine found in Russian weapons come from US (GRAPHS)

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova voiced a similar position to Sikroski in a comment on social media on Jan. 2.

Slovakia's head of state said that the "best way to ensure Moscow's aggression does not continue into another year is to provide Ukraine with the means needed to defend itself."

This position stands in contrast to the policies of the current Slovak government of Robert Fico, who halted arms supplies to Ukraine from the Slovak military stocks.

Several other Western officials denounced the latest Russian mass attack against Ukraine. Josep Borrell, the EU's chief diplomat, said that "Russia will be held to account for its war crimes."

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink commented that Putin only "strengthened the resolve of Ukrainians to defend their freedom" by the recent strike.

Ukraine war latest: Russia’s latest large-scale air attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv kills 5, injures 130
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Martin Fornusek

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Martin Fornusek is a reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, with a focus on analyzing developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.

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