Former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski says he sees Russia as a threat to European stability and that he supports a possible US military presence in Poland.
In an interview with Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s international broadcaster, Sikorski, who also served as Poland’s defence minister, explained that the current right-conservative Polish government is against the Kremlin. He also expressed his full support for the deployment of the American military base in Poland, which President Andrzej Duda has already suggested calling Fort Trump.
“When Russian generals threaten us with nuclear weapons, what are we supposed to feel? When Russia conducts ‘Zapad’ military exercises in which Poland is the target of a nuclear strike — that’s a very good way of maintaining the phobia,” he said. “What worries me is that we don’t seem to have any relations now.
“You know we talk to each other through the media or shout at each other through a keyhole. And that can be dangerous because it creates room for misunderstandings. But at the same time remember that the current Polish ruling party, ideologically speaking, is indistinguishable from [Russia’s ruling party] United Russia.”
DW asked Sikorski about the recent announcement by Poland regarding the stationing of a US military base in Poland.
“I worked very hard to bring it about,” he replied. “We want in Poland the kind of allied forces that would deter Russia but not threaten Russia. You cannot invade Russia with two brigades. The Wehrmacht tried with 100 divisions and failed. So two brigades don’t threaten Russia but reassure Poland.”
