Sikorski: Russia has regained initiative
Poland鈥檚 top diplomat says Russia must pay to rebuild Ukraine and that EU support is not wavering
Radek Sikorski, Poland鈥檚 new Minister of Foreign Affairs, has told HARDtalk that 鈥渢he Russians seem to have regained the initiative鈥� in the war against Ukraine. Nonetheless, he described Moscow鈥檚 victories as 鈥減yrrhic鈥� and does not think that 鈥渢hey can sustain that level of losses鈥�.
Speaking to Stephen Sackur, Mr Sikorski noted that Ukrainians 鈥渁re successfully hitting targets behind enemy lines, including in Russia鈥�. Meanwhile, the EU has made the decision in principle 鈥渢o seize the income from the frozen Russian state bank assets鈥� which, the minister said, established the principle 鈥渢hat the aggressor should pay for the damage that it does鈥�.
Mr Sikorski, who previously served as Poland鈥檚 foreign minister from 2007 to 2014, revealed that the EU is 鈥渃lose to reaching our target鈥� of providing Ukraine one million artillery shells by March. He insisted that 鈥渨e are increasing our production capacity鈥� and that President Putin 鈥渉as no hope of outproducing us鈥�. He said that Russia is 鈥済etting help鈥� from North Korea and Iran, but added that the West is 鈥渢wenty times richer than Russia鈥� and would gain the upper hand 鈥渋f we put our minds to it鈥�.
Mr Sikorski is a close ally of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose new government is seeking to improve Poland鈥檚 standing in the EU. He conceded that 鈥渋t sometimes takes time鈥� for the EU to take action and that 鈥渋f we had a British voice at the European Council, it might have helped鈥�. But he stressed that member states are doing a significant amount for Ukraine, stating that 鈥淧oland is on a per capita basis the number one contributor鈥�. He added that 鈥渨e are, as a new government looking at new ways, and there will be more military supplies to Ukraine.鈥�
