Ukraine's largest neighbor on its Western border is Poland, NATO
and European Union member that has has had its own long and violent
history with Russia as Vladimir Putin looks to accelerate the war
I sat down in New York early this afternoon with Poland's president
on J. Dura.
President Duda Thank you very much for talking with us. Let's start
with Ukraine. You've just listened to President Biden's remarks at
the United Nations, where he said, what President Putin has done
in taking over territory that doesn't belong to him. And now with
this overt threat of nuclear
Ah, weaponry. Uh, did it should make our blood run cold? Is that
how you take what's going on?
Russia is in a difficult situation. Russia has demonstrated its weakness
what Russia has been doing so far in Ukraine, the aggression and
all the outrageous dimensions of the war, which Russia demonstrated
in Ukraine. As a matter of fact, have turned out to be a failure
of Russia. Russia tries to change its tactics At the same time it
tries to threaten the world with nuclear weapons. How does the statement
from President Putin that he is going to mobilize up to hundreds
of thousands more troops?
To fight this war that he's in this for the long haul. How does that
change the war right now?
Please bear in mind that at the beginning before the war happened,
the experts were saying it would be enough for Russia to conquer
the whole of Ukraine. Within 72 hours, however, they failed to seize
the whole of Ukraine. You can see an attempt to save face in this
mobilization. This partial mobilization, which was announced in Russia
well, it causes a horror among his society because thousands of Russian
soldiers have already died in Ukraine.
There will be further thousands following. This is going to be the
policy of the Russian authorities right now, so we can see a weakness
of Russia in this respect. So are you saying you keep referring to
Russian weakness? Are you saying that the rest of the world should
not take his threats seriously when he says we're prepared to use
all means necessary, and clearly they have an enormous nuclear arsenal.
First of all, nobody attacked Russia. Nobody attacked Russia. The
Russian aggression in Ukraine is a totally unprovoked aggression
Number two. They have committed murders there, and they know that
today they are threatened by criminal accountability. Therefore,
the Russian authorities in Vladimir Putin started to threaten. What
can they threaten with the only thing they can threaten with his
nuclear weapons if this Ukraine, which is defending itself, which
has no nuclear weapons?
Ukraine is attacked by nuclear weapons even to the smallest degree,
even if they were the so called tactical nuclear weapons used the
most modern ones, the smallest ones that would break the world taboo
in Russia would find itself on the margins of any sensible political
debate whatsoever. The whole world would turn its back on Russia.
Even those countries which today support Russia's silently or openly
even those countries will find themselves in a dramatic position,
and they will have to say that
Russia will have violated all the principles.
So what should Ukraine and the West do right now? You are describing
Russia is backed into a corner, making threats out of weakness. What
should Ukraine and the West oop provide more weapons to Ukraine?
What needs to happen now? Where do you see this going?
One should support Ukraine in a consistent and stable way. Also by
providing military equipment to Ukraine. Why, Because in order to
be able to speak about an
Orderly world about a world in which piece is going to be guarded
and protected. Then Ukraine has to regain control over its internationally
recognized borders. One has to support Ukraine to make sure that
it defends itself so that Russians are forced to withdraw from Ukraine
to give back the occupied lands to Ukraine. And then we have to help
Ukraine rebuild itself. This is the most important task facing us
today, Ukraine has to regain its territory.
Russia has to withdraw. The primacy of international law has to be
restored. Are you absolutely confident Russia will not use nuclear
weapons?
Tiniest not well. This is a question which you cannot give an answer
to. Nobody can be sure of that. 100% Russia, which is never used
nuclear weapons so far, and I want to stress this point, never, ever,
even in the times of the most acute Cold war, even in the times when
the tensions were running high, Russia has never applied nuclear
weapons, and in particular, it has never used nuclear weapons against
the state, which is not equipped with nuclear weapons itself.
That would break all the taboos, and I believe that the Russian authorities
know that perfectly well, it is not only Vladimir Putin also the
inner circle of Vladimir Putin, also the strategic military decisions.
The West has been largely united.
Against Russia up until now, But if this war drags on for a very
long time, with the economy being what it is with winter coming,
are you concerned at all that that unity could could come apart?
Says. But of course, this situation is very challenging. There are
two overarching topics. First of all the energy crisis in secondly,
inflation, Of course, on top of that there is a third extremely important
topic, namely the food crisis. But the question that arises is as
follows if we want to have an easier life.
If we want to pay lower prices. Are we going to agree for the sake
of that to one of the nation's independence, sovereignty and freedom?
Can we agree to one European country which wants to be a Democratic
state, which wants to belong to the Western community and be a free
independent state? If we agree to that, then Russia will not stop.
It will want to bite off other pieces of territory. It will want
to seize the Baltic states, perhaps my country, Poland. Perhaps it
will also
So wants to seize Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, Slovakia.
This is the former Soviet sphere of influence. We have to say no
to this, and we are saying No Last question is about your country
about Poland. You are clearly siding with the West in opposing what
Putin and the Russians are doing in Ukraine at the same time your
country has taken. What is seen in the United States by the US Biden
administration is some extreme positions. There was a challenge to
independent television network.
There are questions about the independence of your judiciary. Your
country's policy toward abortion is a very extreme with their extreme
limits on abortion in Poland, So my question is the is the United
States looks at your government positions you've taken. It's been.
The question is raised. Is this a country that's moving in an authoritarian
Direction or in the direction of democracy. What's your answer? First,
Let's start with the following. Poland is a sovereign, independent
and free state
program, which is being implemented in Poland, including the political
program is the program which voters wanted to have. These are purely
democratic principles. This is how it functions important today.
I'm listening to my voters, and hence I'm making decisions which
I believe meet their expectations. They are just decisions.
Wrecked ones. In their perspective. I believe the president of the
Republic of Poland has got this authority in our country and has
constitutional powers. The president has instruments to stop any
given amendment. Everybody knew who I am and what my convictions
are. When I was running for president. I was not hiding anything.
My mandate is the mandate, which I won democratically in there haven't
ever been any doubts about that in Poland and implementing the mandate
today.
With full responsibility.
We're going to leave it there. President Duda we thank you very much