Mateusz Morawiecki made the statement to reporters while visiting a children’s centre in the south of his country, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Meeting reporters in the southern village of Biały Kościół, Morawiecki said: “Poland is calling for as far-reaching sanctions as possible because you can defeat [Russian President Vladimir] Putin either economically or militarily.”
Morawiecki added: “Poland is seeking to achieve unity within the EU, while at the same time making the sanctions as wide as possible to put pressure on Putin and the Kremlin.”
Sixth round of EU sanctions
Morawiecki’s words came after the EU’s executive last week proposed a gradual ban on Russian oil imports, as part of a sixth round of punitive measures for Russia's assault on Ukraine.
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called for a phase-out of Russian crude within six months and refined oil products by the end of this year.
‘Like an atomic bomb dropped on Hungarian economy': Orban
However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his country needed up to five years to replace Russian oil with alternative supplies.
He told public broadcaster Radio Kossuth on Friday that the EU proposal "in its current form is like an atomic bomb dropped on the Hungarian economy."
Brussels is now willing to grant countries which rely on Russian oil a temporary exemption from the ban, according to officials.
Hungary and Slovakia are expected to be given until the end of 2024, and the Czech Republic until mid-2024, to complete the phase-out, news outlets have reported, citing diplomatic sources.
Polish deputy FM to encourage Hungary to back embargo on Russian oil
Meanwhile, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk said on Monday he would travel to Hungary the next day to persuade the government in Budapest to approve the new round of EU sanctions.
Szynkowski vel Sęk told public broadcaster Polish Radio: “We want to talk and to make our case because recent weeks have shown that this route can be effective.”
Referring to Hungary’s stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he added: “Hopefully we’ll be able to overcome these frictions in Polish-Hungarian relations through dialogue.”
Agreement near on new sanctions against Russia?
Another Polish deputy foreign minister, Paweł Jabłoński, said on Monday: “There will be further talks today on the sixth sanctions package … we are fairly close to reaching agreement.”
He told private broadcaster Radio Zet: “In all likelihood, no member state, be it Hungary, Austria, Germany or anybody else, will block it.”
The European Commission’s proposal requires a unanimous vote among EU member states.
Monday is day 75 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters