Message by the President of the Republic of Poland
24.02.2023
Exactly one year ago, on 23 February, just hours before the Russian aggression, I was in Kyiv to support Ukraine. I spoke to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. As I said goodbye, I saw great determination and courage in his eyes.
He said to me at the time: We may never see each other again. No one here will give up. We will fight until the very end.
I replied: Volodymyr. We will see each other many more times. You can always count on Poland. God bless you!
That is why, when the world expected Kyiv to fall within three days and the whole of Ukraine within a week, we in Poland knew that this would not happen. Because what unites us – Poles and Ukrainians – is a great love of freedom. So huge that you can give your life for it!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We Poles, like few other nations in the world, understand the tragedy of Ukraine. We know what war, death and suffering mean, just like demolished cities and crimes of genocide. During World War II, 6 million of our citizens perished, and Warsaw, the capital of Poland, was razed to the ground.
Our history however proves that even crimes and persecutions will not break the true spirit of freedom!
The denial of freedom is enslavement, imperialism, sick dreams of domination over others. By unleashing the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin wanted to restore the Russian empire, he wanted to divide the world and make Europe permanently dependent on his resources. And the vast majority of Russians supported him in that.
Today, after a year of war, we know that they did not succeed. Russia has not conquered Ukraine. The western world is united. NATO's role has increased with more countries joining the Alliance. Europe is finally ending its dependence on Russian oil and gas.
Putin is failing. He has not achieved any of his strategic goals. He was stopped by the heroism of Ukrainian soldiers and Ukrainian society. He was stopped by the attitude of Poland and other countries who have been supporting Ukraine from day one. But all this would not have been possible without the strong leadership of the United States.
Poland has been at the forefront of aid to Ukraine. Both the military and humanitarian one. That is exactly why we are the target of an organised, cynical Russian propaganda and disinformation. All over the world.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Russia has not yet lost and Ukraine has not yet won. We know very well that the road to this victory is still a long one and will involve great efforts and sacrifice. But there is no other way. Any attempts to get along with Russia behind Ukraine's back are short–sighted and will lead to an even greater tragedy in the future. There is no going back to the situation from before 24 February. There is no return to business as usual with Russia!
In order to achieve a lasting peace, Ukraine must win. And for it to have a chance of doing so, we need unity, unity and more unity of the whole free world.
The historic visit by US President Joe Biden to Warsaw and Kyiv, to Poland and Ukraine, reaffirmed the Polish–American strategic alliance and continued support for Ukraine which is fighting for its freedom.
The United States is the guarantee of security on the old continent. Many in Europe have forgotten this. We remember. Therefore, the priority of the Polish Presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2025 will be to deepen cooperation between the Union and the United States, to strengthen transatlantic bonds.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Poland is the country of Solidarity. A great movement which brought together millions of people and changed the world's recent history by contributing to the fall of communism. We are proud of this.
After the outbreak of the war, the Polish people showed that Solidarity is not just a great history, but that Solidarity lives on in us. We opened our hearts and our homes to our neighbours. There were and there are no refugee camps in Poland. We welcomed and continue to welcome our guests in our homes. This is the second wave of Solidarity for us. Solidarity with Ukraine!
Ukraine still needs a great deal of support from the whole free world. For it is fighting for this freedom now. We know that the consequences of this war are affecting many people around the world, but let us remember that it is the Ukrainian people who are paying the highest price for this freedom. The price of their lives.
And that is why from Warsaw, a city so afflicted by war, from Poland, from the country of Solidarity, there is an appeal going out to the whole world: stand in solidarity with Ukraine! We repeat the words which Poles had on their lips when they were fighting for their freedom: there is no freedom without Solidarity!