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Warsaw, Kyiv stand united against Russian imperialism: Ukraine’s FM

24.07.2023 07:30
Poland and Ukraine will always stand united against Russian imperialism, the Ukrainian foreign minister has said. 
Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.Mfa.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Dmytro Kuleba made the declaration via Twitter on Sunday night, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

Ukraine’s top diplomat wrote: “Putin’s attempts to drive a wedge between Kyiv and Warsaw are as futile as his failing invasion of Ukraine.”

Kuleba stressed: “Unlike Russia, Poland and Ukraine have learned from history and will always stand united against Russian imperialism and disrespect for international law.”

His words came after Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech on Friday that Poland was aiming to intervene in Ukraine and annex parts of its territory, a claim Warsaw has strongly denied.

Putin also stated that Poland had regained independence thanks to Joseph Stalin's efforts and referred to the western territories of Poland as a "gift to the Poles” from the Soviet dictator.

On Friday evening, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Twitter: "Stalin was a war criminal responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Poles. The historical truth is beyond doubt."

Poland’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday summoned the Russian ambassador in Warsaw over the Kremlin leader’s remarks. 

Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński said afterwards he had told Sergei Andreev during a brief meeting that “the borders between countries are inviolable and Poland opposes any attempts to revise them," the PAP news agency reported. 

On Sunday, the Polish Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the “historical insinuations” made by Russian leaders and Moscow’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. 

It said: “Historical insinuations by Russian authorities and defying basic facts about the Soviet Union’s role in the unleashing of World War II are evidence of Russia’s deeply rooted revisionism and imperialism. Glorification of Stalin’s policy harms the memory of hundreds of thousands of victims of Soviet communism and supports justification of these crimes.”

The Foreign Ministry in Warsaw stressed: “Russia’s ongoing aggression on Ukraine is the most brutal evidence of how dangerous is Russian authorities’ disregard of historical truth and the incapacity to hold to account the perpetrators of World War II, the greatest disaster of the 20th century.”

The statement concluded: “Together with the democratic international community, Poland has been making every effort to hold to account all those responsible for the aggression on Ukraine and effectively deliver justice for the crimes against its civilian population.” 

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.

Monday is day 516 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

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Source: PAP, Ukrinform, gov.pl