Polish PM pens op-ed reflecting on 1-year anniversary of Russia's all-out war

In an op-ed reflecting on one year of Russia's all-out war in Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stressed the war's global impact and the need for continued solidarity.

"This is not a local conflict. Russia tries to set Europe ablaze," said Morawiecki. "Its aim is to destabilize the entire global economic order."

Morawiecki cited the energy crisis and global inflation as an example of this.

Ukraine is one of the world's top grain exporters. Earlier this month, the Agriculture Ministry reported that exports had decreased by 1.3 million metric tons in January 2023 due to Russia obstructing the passage of outbound vessels from ports. Shipments of all grain and oil-based crops decreased, with the corn export decreasing by 700,000 metric tons, and wheat by 250,000 metric tons.

Morawiecki added that "the weakness of the West has been Russia’s strength," namely its reliance on Russian fossil fuels and other natural resources.

This was evidenced recently when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared that his country would veto EU sanctions related to nuclear energy. Hungary has a Russian-built nuclear plant generating almost half of the country's power, which it plans to expand.

Morawiecki also praised Germany's approval to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine and the U.S. pledge to send Abrams tanks, adding that "Russia has miscalculated. It wanted to divide us, but we became more united than ever before."

Morawiecki is in Kyiv on Feb. 24 to commemorate the anniversary and reaffirm Poland's solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

Timeline of Russia's all-out war in Ukraine, month by month

The Kyiv Independent