Warsaw, Poland — Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski will give a speech to parliament on Thursday outlining the government’s vision at a historically crucial time with the war across the border in Ukraine.
Sikorski will outline the priorities of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government as it seeks to show leadership in Europe amid growing fears of continued Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Sikorski’s speech is aimed at both the world and the domestic audience of the nation of 38 million located along a geopolitical fault line. Poland, a member of NATO and the European Union, is on the eastern flank of both and shares borders with Russia and Belarus as well as Ukraine. It is a key hub for Western weapons going to Ukraine.
Sikorski seeks to underline how Poland’s priorities changed after Tusk’s government replaced a national conservative party, Law and Justice, regarding the rule of law and international relations, his ministry said before the speech.
Law and Justice led Poland from 2015 to 2023, and while he highlighted ties with the United States, he had a conflictive stance toward the European Union, which he accused of seeking to erode the powers of individual nations, and with Germany, which invaded and Poland. occupied during World War II.
Sikorski will emphasize that Warsaw wants strong ties with both Washington and Brussels, and that being a leader in the EU also makes it a more valuable partner for the United States. Sikorski also wants to underline the importance of friendship with Germany.
The ministry said the speech will underline the importance of this moment in history and highlight how different Poland’s foreign policy is after its change of government.
He will highlight the importance Warsaw places on aid to Ukraine and call for Russia to join the Western family of nations.
It is a view largely aligned with the views of French President Emmanuel Macron. Criticized earlier during the war by Poland and the Baltic states for what was seen as an attempt to appease Russia, Macron has in recent months hardened his stance toward Moscow.