In a televised speech on Thursday evening, Andrzej Duda said: “We, the Polish people, understand Ukraine’s tragedy more than most nations in the world.”
He added: “We know what war, death and suffering are about, as well as destroyed cities and crimes of genocide. But our history provides evidence that even crimes and persecution won’t break the spirit of freedom.”
‘Putin is being defeated’
Duda said that “by starting the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin sought to rebuild the Russian empire, divide the world and make Europe dependent on its raw materials in a lasting way. A clear majority of Russians supported him in this undertaking.”
The Polish president stressed that “after a year of war, we know that they haven’t succeeded, that Russia hasn’t conquered Ukraine," Polish state news agency PAP reported.
He stated: “The Western world is united. The role of NATO has grown and more countries are joining the alliance. Europe is at last shaking off its dependence on Russian oil and gas.”
Duda went on to say: “Putin is being defeated. He hasn’t achieved any of his strategic aims. He has been thwarted by the heroism of Ukrainian soldiers and Ukrainian society. He has been thwarted by the actions of Poland and other countries that have supported Ukraine from day one. But all this wouldn’t have been possible without strong leadership from the United States.”
'Russia hasn’t lost yet, nor has Ukraine won yet'
The president continued: “Poland is a leader when it comes to helping Ukraine, both in terms of military assistance and humanitarian aid. Precisely for this reason, we have been the target of organised, cynical Russian propaganda and disinformation.”
Duda cautioned that “Russia hasn’t lost yet, nor has Ukraine won yet.”
He stressed: “For a lasting peace to be achieved, Ukraine must win.”
The president added: “For Ukraine to have a chance of winning this war, the unity of the whole free world is necessary. That’s why over the past year, during my meetings with world leaders, I lobbied for support for Ukraine’s war effort, because such support is extremely important for the security of Poland and our entire region.”
‘Poland is safe’
Duda said: “Poland’s diplomatic offensive in recent days is bringing results. My meetings with the NATO Secretary General, the King and Prime Minister of Britain, the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Minister of Italy and the leaders of NATO eastern-flank countries are strengthening our alliances.”
The president stressed: “Poland is safe. We appreciate the presence of US and NATO forces in our country. But we base our security mainly on the strength of our own army, which we consistently strengthen and modernise.”
Duda told Poles that US President Joe Biden’s "historic visit to Warsaw" earlier this week demonstrated "the importance of the Polish-American alliance."
"I agree with President Biden: Poland needs America and America needs Poland," Duda said.
“The United States is the guarantee of security in Europe,” he added.
‘As a nation we have done the right thing’
The Polish president told the nation: “Poland is the country of Solidarity. A great movement that brought together millions of people, changed the modern history of the world, contributing to the fall of communism. We are proud of this.”
He stressed: “After the outbreak of the war, we have shown that Solidarity isn’t just magnificent history, that Solidarity lives on inside us. We opened our hearts and our homes to our neighbours.”
Duda stated: “It’s the second wave of Solidarity for us. Solidarity with Ukraine!”
He added: “As a nation, we have done the right thing. Once again I thank all the Polish people for this, from the bottom of my heart!”
‘Stand in solidarity with Ukraine’
Duda also said in his address that Ukraine "still needs huge support from the entire free world because it’s precisely freedom that it is fighting for.”
He urged: “And so from Poland, from the country of Solidarity, here is an appeal to the whole world: stand in solidarity with Ukraine! We are repeating the words that Polish people had on their lips when fighting for their freedom: there is no freedom without Solidarity!”
“Long live free Ukraine! Long live Poland,” the Polish president concluded.
Thursday was day 365 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, prezydent.pl
