{"id":63544,"date":"2022-12-08T11:55:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T11:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/12\/08\/polish-defense-minister-we-wont-waiver-from-supporting-ukraine\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:47:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:47:07","slug":"polish-defense-minister-we-wont-waiver-from-supporting-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/outlook\/2022\/12\/08\/polish-defense-minister-we-wont-waiver-from-supporting-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Polish defense minister: We won\u2019t waiver from supporting Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cWe know very well: today, Georgia; tomorrow, Ukraine; the day after tomorrow, the Baltic states; and then perhaps the time will come for my country, Poland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has been 14 years since the landmark speech delivered in Tbilisi by the late President Lech Kaczy\u0144ski. At the time, the Polish head of state, along with several other leaders of Central and Eastern European countries, visited the Georgian capital to demonstrate solidarity in the face of Russia\u2019s invasion in 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those words were never meant to be a prophecy; it was a thorough assessment of the situation underpinned by painstaking analysis of Russia\u2019s actions from the sobering perspective of an eyewitness in a challenging neighborhood. The 2014 annexation of Crimea, yet another unnerving event, regrettably did not alter the international community\u2019s general approach toward Vladimir Putin\u2019s regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Russia\u2019s unprovoked and unjustified military attack on Ukraine<\/a> leaves no ambiguity as to the real intent of the Kremlin and its modus operandi in international relations. Russian aggression was met with a prompt, though not unanimous, response of the international community. Still, the collective reaction has been very encouraging across many fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poland has confirmed its long-standing solidarity with Ukraine from the very beginning of the conflict. The nationwide response has encompassed both humanitarian aid and safe haven for millions of refugees. The Polish government has been also providing substantial military support, including armaments, maintenance and training. Our territory has become a hub for humanitarian and military aid delivered to Ukraine from across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the right time to increase and harmonize Ukraine-related initiatives. Our neighbor should be fully enabled not only to resist invasion but also to succeed in its efforts to restore its territorial integrity. The \u201ctoo cautious\u201d approach to military assistance may cause unnecessary and undesired prolongation of the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainians have already proved their abilities on the battlefield. We cannot stop short of what is needed for Ukraine to prevail. Ukrainian soldiers pay the highest price guarding not only their homeland but also the very values we are all committed to. This is why we will continue to provide political and practical support to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself and call on others to do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The war in Ukraine, in NATO\u2019s immediate neighborhood, preceded by a hostile, state-orchestrated migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, has clearly demonstrated that the security of the eastern flank is of crucial importance to the stability of the entire alliance and the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\t