Confederate press conference attended by Michał Wawer and Jan Krysiak, on 4 November 2024.
Michał Wawer:
– Unfortunately, we have reached a point in the Polish public debate where this public debate is increasingly like the debate of colonial states.
That is, in Poland, the government, ministers, the Prime Minister in the media discuss third-class subjects, substitute themes, alkotubki, partnerships, animal rights – while the subjects are truly important, crucial from the point of view of Polish safety and Polish force are addressed by the same people, the Polish Prime Minister, the Polish Minister of abroad Affairs, but not in the Polish media and not in the Polish Sejm, only in abroad media! And we abroad media must read to learn what the Polish state policy is, what line the Polish government takes on the most crucial issues.
And a model example of specified a situation is what is happening at the moment, namely the debate around NATO's approval to shoot down Russian missiles from the territory of the Polish state over Ukraine. In Polish media there is full silence on this subject. This is not a subject in the media, it is not the subject of any statements by either media or parliamentary prime minister, abroad minister, national defence minister. The only sources for us are interviews that Mr. Sikorski, for example, gives in American media, in Western European media. Even in Ukrainian media, this subject is discussed, in Poland not!
We learn about this subject from the American Congress, where American congressmen make letters supporting the Polish line, a Polish proposal to the authorities of the American state. There is no subject in Poland. There is silence in Poland about this.
And what do we learn from this debate about Polish affairs conducted in abroad media? Well, we find out that the line of the Polish government Donald Tusk, Radosław Sikorski, the line of the Polish government is the fight for Poland to be actively active in the war in Ukraine and the fight for Poland to be allowed to shoot down Polish territory, utilizing Polish military installations, approval to shoot down Russian rockets. In specified a more diplomatic version, Minister Sikorski proposes that we can shoot down specified rockets, which will most likely violate NATO airspace and fall into the territory of the Polish state.
It seems yet somehow, in any sense logical, justified, although it is most likely very hard in method execution. But erstwhile we dig deeper, erstwhile we look at, for example, the letter that American congressmen have submitted in their government, supporting the Polish proposal, we find that this is not only about that. We find out that It is besides about shooting down Russian missiles that are to fall on Ukrainian targets in the territory of the Ukrainian state! And that's just being active in the war. In fact, in this letter it is called support for Ukraine, that it is the usage of Polish military, Polish military installations as an active side of the war in Ukraine! So, speaking Polish, bringing Poland into the war in Ukraine.
And the question is, Do Donald Tusk and Radosław Sikorski have thought out what this means for Poland and Poles, what will this result? due to the fact that the minimum option, absolute, if we presume that the Russians will be a very restrained state in reacting to specified things, then the minimum option is that the Russians will besides gotta take into account the decommissioning of installations in the territory of the Polish state, to combat Russian rockets, to combat Russian troops in Ukraine.
Means we can number on acts of sabotage, we can number on rocket attacks on Polish anti-racite, anti-aircraft installations; with acts of sabotage and attacks on Polish airports.
But if Russia is not so restrained, then the next step is simply to retaliate.. If we are attacking Russian troops in Ukraine, Russia may consider that this situation requires consequence and attack of Polish troops in Poland.
This escalating ladder can be developed further, up to the maximum variant, which is simply to drag Poland into a full-scale war against Russia. The war that we as Poland are completely unattainable to. due to the fact that we're a disarmed country. A state that gave a crucial part of its weapons to Ukraine. A country whose production capacity, for example in the field of ammunition, yearly production capacity is specified a quantity of ammunition that is adequate for Russians or Ukrainians to wage 3 to 5 days of active war.
So we're disarmed, we're not ready to engage in a full-scale war, in any sense of the word. Moreover, we have nothing to play in this war, nothing to win. It is apparent that, contrary to the Buncho announcements of Marshal Holownia about trampling Putin into the ground, the Polish Army has no ability to lead the offensive against Russia and occupy Moscow. It is besides clear that no Polish national interest will be satisfied by specified actions.
Ukraine has shown for the last 2 years that all the assistance it provides, all the support, all the embezzlement, all the funding, all the assistance to Ukrainian refugees does not meet any symmetrical acts of gratitude, any symmetrical acts of implementation of Polish national interests. Ukraine has an approach to this that if Poland gives, if Poland demands nothing in return, then it is only essential to scope out for more, due to the fact that seemingly Poles are afraid of Ukraine, or are afraid of Americans, or for whatever reason they are afraid of these Ukrainian interests to ignore.
So you just gotta request more and you gotta endanger to request more – due to the fact that you gotta call the words of the Ukrainian Minister of abroad Affairs, who at “Campus Polska” spoke openly about Podkarpacie, Lublin, east Małopolska as indigenous Ukrainian territories. This was a clear signal that the Ukrainian government was ready to send specified veiled threats, veiled announcements of making territorial claims to Poland and is ready to negociate greater concessions from Poland with specified threats.
We inactive hear from president Zelenski and Ukrainian politicians that they request more from Poland – more aircraft, more money, more weapons – and do not anticipate anything from themselves in return, right? There is no mention of Polish historical interests, there is no mention of Polish economical interests, as we saw during the grain crisis or as we see in the Polish transport industry. Here, too, only claims, demands and threats came from the Ukrainians.
There is no question of including Poland in the process of rebuilding Ukraine. There's no specifics down here. Although we know that specified declarations have been made to both the Germans and the Americans, the findings are already being made as to what the reconstruction of Ukraine will look like. At the address of Poland, nothing like this rains, and stories, which here representatives of PiSu or Platforma, visions which spread before Polish business, can be put into the category of fairy tales and myths. In specified a situation Poland has no interest in supporting Ukraine in a military sense even more, to hazard engaging in an active war in order to satisfy any Ukrainian interests here.
Moreover, it does not seem to be in the interest of Polish abroad policy, that it is expected by our Western allies!
Donald Tusk and Radosław Sikorski make themselves on these “war hawks” – looking at specified a erstwhile one, 1 can say, the stereotype of reasoning about Polish abroad policy, well there are people in Poland who will say that it is good, due to the fact that Americans anticipate it, and as we will do what Americans expect, Americans will give us something in return. But it's not! The secret is that Americans do not want to deepen their commitment to the war on Ukraine. They are skeptical and disgruntled at this impertinent, warlike enthusiasm presented by Polish politicians – from both camps, due to the fact that both PiS politicians and Platform politicians represent a akin approach – and it alternatively works at the minute in this way that Radosław Sikorski or Donald Tusk, telling about this increased commitment, about the greater hazard of bringing NATO into the war in Ukraine, act simply across, in spite of what the American government line is.
All the more so if Donald Trump wins next day and this American enthusiasm to support Ukraine will fall further, even more this enthusiasm of war in America will become more limited, cooler. So what is the business of Radosław Sikorski, Donald Tusk in conducting this pro-war rhetoric? We can only speculate. I'm besides leaving you with my guess. We, as a Confederate, will ask these questions, we will prosecute this subject and we will do everything in our power to prevent Poland from being drawn into the war in Ukraine.
