Polish Ambassador to France: Poland will be forced to enter war if Ukraine fails to defend itself
Poland’s Ambassador to France Jan Emeryk Rościszewski said in an interview that a situation could arise in which Poland would have to enter the war. The embassy urged audiences to refrain from sensationalising his words.
Source: Rościszewski in an interview with LCI, a French TV channel; Rzeczpospolita, a Polish media outlet, citing Poland’s Embassy in France
Quote from Rościszewski: "It is not NATO, Poland or Slovakia that are mounting ever more pressure, but Russia, which has invaded Ukraine. Russia, which is seizing its territories. Russia, which is killing its people. And Russia, which is abducting Ukrainian children.
Therefore, either Ukraine will defend its independence today, or we will have to enter this conflict. Because our main values, which were the basis of our civilization and our culture will be threatened. Therefore, we will have no choice but to enter the conflict."
Details: Following the ambassador’s remark, Poland’s Embassy in France issued a statement saying that it has been interpreted by some media "out of context".
— Ambassade de Pologne (@PLenFrance) March 19, 2023
Quote from Poland’s Embassy in France: "During a thirty-minute conversation with the editor, Ambassador Rościszewski argued for the need for allies to support Ukraine. He also spoke about the threat that Russia poses to Europe and European values [...]
A careful listening to the entire conversation makes it clear that there was no announcement of Poland’s direct involvement in the conflict, only a warning of the consequences that a Ukrainian defeat could have: the possibility of a Russian attack, or the involvement of more Central European countries – the Baltic States and Poland."
More details: The embassy stressed that Ambassador Rościszewski made it clear in his interview with LCI that Poland is not currently at war, but is "doing everything it can to help Ukraine and protect itself" in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
"Searching for a sensationalist claim that goes against Poland's consistent efforts over the past year to help Ukraine win in this conflict and so keep it out of Europe and Poland should be seen as a sign of ill will," the embassy said in a statement.
Background: Jan Emeryk Rościszewski has been Poland’s Ambassador to France for almost a year. Before that he was the Chairman of the Board of PKO Bank Polski, Poland’s largest bank.
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