„On the day of his speech, Sikorski said that Russia will never again rule over Warsaw, Kyiv, Vilnius, or Riga,” the head of Polish government wrote on social media.
“His speech triggered outrage from both the Kremlin’s spokesperson and the PiS party - both to the same extent.”
Tusk’s remarks came in response to Foreign Minister Sikorski’s annual policy address before the lower house of the Polish parliament, during which the minister outlined Poland’s key foreign policy objectives for 2025.
In his exposé, Radosław Sikorski remarked that Russia’s leadership should focus on governing its own territory, within internationally recognized borders, instead of fantasizing about retaking Warsaw. He added that they should be more concerned about whether they can hold onto Haishenwai (the Chinese name for Vladivostok).
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski drew criticism from Russia after referring to Vladivostok by its historical Chinese name. The city, located in Russia’s Far East, was part of Qing dynasty territory until it was ceded to the Russian Empire under the Treaty of Beijing in 1860.
Pro-Kremlin news outlet TASS reported that Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned Sikorski’s comments, calling them politically provocative.
Reacting to the backlash, Member of the European Parliament Bogdan Zdrojewski posted on X, formerly known as Twitter:
“Who’s been the most critical of Radosław Sikorski’s foreign policy address yesterday? Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova and... President Andrzej Duda. This kind of alignment really speaks for itself. It’s become a 'secular tradition,” wrote MEP Bogdan Zdrojewski, a former mayor of Wrocław, a city in southwestern Poland, as well as a former Member of Parliament, senator, and Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
The full transcript of Minister Sikorski’s policy address was made available on his official YouTube channel.
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Source: IAR/X/@donaldtusk/@SimplyonWorld/@BZdrojewski/YouTube.com/@RadoslawSikorski