MFA chief in annual address: since 2007 Russian policies are the greatest threat to peace in Europe

President Andrzej Duda was in the Sejm when Poland's MFA chief was giving his speech. Zbigniew Rau spoke about the tasks of Polish foreign policy in 2023.

The minister said that due to Russian aggression "we are now experiencing a watershed moment in European history". "For Poland – the only member of NATO and the European Union that borders Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus – this reflection is existential in character," he added.

Rau underscored that one of the key principles governing Polish foreign policy was ensuring peace and security.

He pointed out that the Polish people understood the value of peace and costs of war better than any other country in Europe. "That is why we must actively build an international security system where armed attack is increasingly unlikely. This system should not come down to membership in political and defensive alliances that ensure credible deterrence and effective defence from a potential aggressor," he explained.

In his view, preventing aggression "should always include a measurable financial component in order to rule out the instrument of armed attack from every potential aggressor’s rational calculation of profits and losses".

"In practice, this also means Poland’s membership in organisations and coalitions capable of imposing sanctions against countries threatening peace. This is an indispensable component of keeping order in the world," Rau added.

According to the minister, the second principle the country must follow in its foreign policy is "the democratisation of international relations based on the sovereign equality of all states and nations," which should be "construed as the antithesis for all sorts of imperialisms, hegemonic aspirations, concerts of powers and their areas of influence".

"The nations of Central and Eastern Europe share unique anti-imperial traditions and experiences. We contribute them as our important input into the formation of the common good in Europe and the world. That is why we consider ourselves to be the epicentre of important contemporary values that safeguard Europe from hegemonic tendencies, institutionalised advantages of large countries over medium and small ones, and from compromising with authoritarian regimes," the MFA chief said.

"We know better than others that the future of Europe cannot be built on a compromise between freedom and enslavement, but only after rejecting imperial traditions," he added. This is why we want a Europe of equal and free nations that stand in solidarity with the victims of armed force, such as Ukraine today, and Georgia in 2008.

He stressed that Poland had never accepted and would never accept "the division of countries into better and worse or between states with the right to fully and freely decide on their own destiny, security arrangements or alliances with those deprived of it".

The third principle of Poland's foreign policy is "legalism, understood in terms of observing international law".

"We believe that the right to defend oneself is every nation’s inalienable right that cannot be renounced or restricted. This also means the possibility of seeking membership in collective defence organisations, which makes effectively exercising that right possible. We will defend this not only for our own sake, but also for all countries aspiring to join NATO and the European Union," Rau said.

Minister Rau argued that "since 2007, when Russian President Vladimir Putin took the floor at the Munich Security Conference, policies pursued by Russia posed the greatest threat to peace in Europe".

"Russia sought to gain status in Europe for the purpose of curb its neighbour’s freedom and security. Unfortunately, it gradually moved from words to action, becoming clear that it sought to coerce the international community into recognising Russia’s direct neighbourhood as an exclusive area of influence," he added.

He also said that Russia had resorted to armed aggression - "an instrument prohibited by international law that would place Russia outside the community of countries incorporated in the OSCE that are interested in peace, security, and cooperation".

"President Putin turned down peace and chose war, violating the UN Charter and other fundamental standards of international law. In these circumstances, our policies aim to create a situation in which it becomes 8 clear to everyone that his choice will lead Russia to strategic defeat, while Ukraine will prevail, survive, and move the spectre of war away from our borders," the minister said.

"It is with this prospect in mind that we support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion, because for us, sovereign equality of states means that in practice the Ukrainian people should be free to choose their identity, political system, political affiliations and military alliances while deciding how long to fight and when to sit down to negotiate with Russia," he added.

Zbigniew Rau underscored the fundamental role of Poland's membership in the United Nations, NATO, and the EU, as well as institutional forms of cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe.

"For over seventy years, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been the most effective instrument for defending peace in Europe, as evidenced by its constant attractiveness for potential members and ongoing enlargement process, most recently concerning Finland and Sweden," he said.

The MFA chief stressed that Poland was a reliable NATO ally "that approaches its own security responsibly and understands the principle of indivisible security, recognizing the necessity to deepen transatlantic relations".

"We will continue increasing our defence expenditure to a level of no less than 3% GDP – this year it will exceed 4% GDP. We will keep developing modern defence capacities, take part in NATO missions and operations, and support the Alliance’s ability to respond to threats from all geographical directions. We encourage other allies to support the ambitious defence expenditure goal, where 2% will no longer be considered the maximum threshold, but the bare minimum."

"We will support the development of necessary command structures, troops, infrastructure, plans and exercises. Ahead of the Vilnius Summit in July, we would like to have a new Alliance forces model approved, ensuring that NATO is able to defend its territory from day one of any future aggression. Following NATO’s decisions in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the credibility of this concept was proven right," the minister said.

Furthermore, he argued that In deployment decisions, "neither the Alliance nor individual states can feel constrained by the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act". "After all, it was Russia that violated the most important commitments contained in this document."

"This is why we will support proposals to denounce the 1997 Russia-NATO declaration. If Russia chooses to abide by international law again, we will need a new agreement anyway," Rau stressed.

Poland's MFA chief also spoke about the European Union. He said that "being part of European integration is a society’s absolute expression of their aspirations to work together for the common good of all Europeans". "This is also the position taken by the overwhelming majority of the Polish public and, by extension, any Polish government regardless of its political persuasions."

Nevertheless, we remember that the European Union is not a sui generis organisation. It was established and functions for free and equal nations united in diversity, deriving its strength from their political will as set out in the Treaties and within the limits of power conferred upon it therein. It is therefore an instrument through which its members jointly pursue their objectives. Implementing them is a common good for each of its members, as well as for all of them together," the minister said.

He added that "Europe is mostly composed of small and medium-sized states whose policy goals matter just as much as those of countries with the greatest demographic, economic and political potential". "That is why Poland’s European policies seek and will continue seeking a modus operandi based on the consensus of all EU members and not on directions from various setups of Europe’s players: pentagons, squares, triangles, let alone dictates from its most powerful members," he underscored.

Minister Rau also stressed the special role of the United States "in our thinking about the world and our foreign and security policies," adding that the U.S. "is a natural leader of the free world, a de facto European power, engaged for decades in the defence of the 20 continent’s peace and security, and in safeguarding conditions for its optimal development". "Russian aggression against Ukraine reassured us in our belief that without the United States and its active engagement, the freedom of European nations would be in jeopardy."

"We will strive for a systemic and lasting presence of US troops on our territory. In our opinion, it will enhance United States credibility as leader of the free world and supplier of global strategic deterrence, Poland's MFA chief declared.