Russian imperialism seeks to destroy universal values, Polish president tells UN

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda told the United Nations on Tuesday that Russia's imperial ambitions are aimed at dismantling universal values such as peace, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks at a special session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, March 5, 2025.

Photo: Marek Borawski/KPRP

Click on the player icon above for an audio report by Marcin Matuszewski

Addressing a special session of the UN General Assembly, Duda said that Central and Eastern Europe "is well aware of the threat to sovereignty posed by the imperial policy of the Russian Federation."

He warned his UN audience that recent years have shown "how fragile both peace and security are."

Reflecting on his nearly decade-long presidency, Duda said he has witnessed "a steadily growing threat" in Poland’s immediate neighbourhood.

'Further expansion towards Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga or Tallinn'

"I could see the resurging Russian imperialism, which aimed to shatter all universal values: peace, respect for sovereignty and integrity of states," Duda said, as quoted by his office.

President @AndrzejDuda: I recall my previous interventions, the main message of which was always the primacy of international law over naked force. “Peace through law” was the slogan that accompanied me during my speeches before the UN General Assembly and at the UN Security… pic.twitter.com/NKTuL3Pjt0

— Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) March 5, 2025

Duda told the UN General Assembly that when he was elected president in 2015, he already understood that Russia's 2014 aggression against Ukraine was "just the beginning of an effort to violently destroy the international order based on international law."

He continued: "Today, I look back with satisfaction, but also with relief, on all the initiatives to strengthen the security of Poland and Europe."

Without these efforts, "the Kremlin could have conquered Kyiv long ago" and begun preparing for "further expansion towards Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga or Tallinn," Duda argued.

'Ukraine defending itself against Russia's neocolonial ambitions'

He also said in his wide-ranging speech that over the past decade, Poland and its regional partners have faced threats such as "Russian hybrid attacks on our borders, sabotage on land and at sea," and, ultimately, Russia's full–scale invasion of Ukraine.

"From the first day of the war, we have been clear about who is the victim and who is the aggressor, and we have continuously supported Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia's neocolonial ambitions," he declared.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II.

Tuesday is day 1,104 of Russia's war on Ukraine. 

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Source: IAR, PAP, president.pl