Zbigniew Rau made the statement after meeting Pelosi in Washington on Thursday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Poland’s top diplomat told the media: “First of all, I thanked Speaker Pelosi for the American leadership of the free world, especially now, in such difficult matters, when the security architecture has broken down due to the Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
He added that their conversation confirmed Pelosi’s reputation as “an icon of American politics.”
Rau said that Pelosi “expressed admiration for the firm stance Poland has shown with regard to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as the firm stance with regard to other pressures on our country.”
"She mentioned the barrier we have built on the border with Belarus. She said it is a stance that elicits understanding and respect of the free world,” the Polish foreign minister said.
Rau also said that he and Pelosi “talked at length about Ukraine and the scenarios that will be emerging from this war.”
He added they agreed that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilisation of additional troops for the invasion of Ukraine “may be a turning point for Russian society and in Russian politics.”
According to the Polish foreign minister, the conversation also focused on Poland’s energy security, with Pelosi expressing “appreciation for our efforts to achieve independence from Russian supplies.”
Rau added: “We also discussed certain divisions within the European Union, regarding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. We talked about how resilient democracies are to such unknown future events as the difficult winter that Western Europe faces in terms of energy supplies, and to what extent this can translate into a temptation to induce Ukraine to bring Russia to the negotiating table.”
Poland’s top diplomat also stressed that Russia’s imminent annexation of occupied parts of Ukraine would be met with a new round of sanctions from the West, the PAP news agency reported.
“Further sanctions will absolutely be imposed because this [the annexation] will be another act of international lawlessness that the international community must not allow,” he told reporters in Washington.
Thursday was the last day of Rau’s 10-day visit to the United States, which also included participation in the United Nations General Assembly, talks with US lawmakers involved in Polish-American relations, meetings with executives at top US think tanks, and an interview with US broadcaster NBC News, the PAP news agency reported.
Friday is day 219 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, rmf24.pl