Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski to Russia: You will never rule here again – not here, not anywhere

Poland will never bow to Russian imperialism again, and Moscow must be held accountable for its brutal war against Ukraine and its wider ambitions to dominate Eastern Europe, Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Radosław Sikorski declared in a fiery address to his nation’s Sejm parliament on April 23, as reported by the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

In a stark rebuke to the Kremlin’s ideological architects, Sikorski condemned the imperialist rhetoric of Russian propagandist Alexander Dugin who has openly fantasized about erasing Poland and Ukraine as sovereign nations. 

Sikorski’s message to those who harbor such delusions was unflinching: “You will never rule here again – not in Kyiv, not in Riga, not in Tallinn, not in Chișinău.” 

He added: “Instead of fantasising about retaking Warsaw, you’d be better off focusing on Haishenwai” in reference to the Chinese name for the Far Eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.

He also drew a comparison between Russia’s claim to Warsaw and Poland’s historical rule over Smolensk, arguing that both are equally baseless.

“Yes, we ruled there [Russia] for nearly a hundred years. But the difference is, hardly anyone in Poland still thinks in such outdated, imperial terms,” he said.

Sikorski said that the outcome of Russia’s war in Ukraine will shape the future of security across the region. It will also shape the fate of Belarus and guide the European paths of Moldova, Georgia and Armenia – and will also have geopolitical implications for countries in Central Asia.

“As long as Russia clings to its imperial ambitions, it will remain an aggressor. Russian imperialism is our enemy. This is our policy toward Putin’s regime – and it will not change,” he said.

According to Sikorski, the priority is not a temporary ceasefire in the Russo-Ukrainian war, but a strong and just peace rooted in the UN’s founding charter. 

“Peace through strength,” he said, is the only one Russia acknowledges and will adhere to.

“Russia must face legal and financial consequences for its aggression against Ukraine and for the documented war crimes and crimes against humanity it has committed,” the minister said.