Peace with modern Russia is impossible, Polish foreign minister says
Photo: Radosław Sikorski (Getty Images)
Peace with today's Russia is impossible because it has violated international norms and seeks to benefit from aggression against Ukraine, according to Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) emerged from the Helsinki process, when the communist bloc of that time pledged to respect human rights and tolerate the opposition, and the Western world pledged to recognize the borders established as a result of World War II, which did not end in a peace treaty.
“Modern Russia has broken both of these commitments, as it has introduced a much more authoritarian regime and has more political prisoners than under Brezhnev. At the same time, it has started to change borders by force,” Sikorski says.
According to him, the OSCE was an idea to stabilize security in Europe with the participation of Russia. For many years and decades, Russia liked the OSCE because Russia had a veto on it. However, today it has violated all the assumptions and principles - the UN Charter and the OSCE, which was created on its initiative.
“This brings us to your rightful conclusion that, with Russia, as she is today, peace cannot be brokered because she wants to profit from aggression. Therefore, responding to this with force and not with concessions is necessary,” the Polish Foreign Minister says.
Poland has increased defense spending after Russia invaded Ukraine. While this year it spent 4% of GDP on defense, next year it will increase to 5% of GDP. According to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, we are no longer in the era of eternal peace after the Cold War.
