Ukraine, USA, Germany, France, Russia. MFA chief Sikorski laid out key foreign policy tasks

In a speech delivered before the parliament, Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski presented key tasks that lie ahead of the country's diplomacy in 2024.

"The overarching goal of any foreign policy is to ensure a state’s security, understood as its guaranteed survival and development. Behind our eastern border, Ukraine’s war has entered a third year," he stressed at the beginning of the address.

Below are the key outtakes from minister Sikorski's speech.

"Behind our eastern border, Ukraine’s war has entered a third year. It is a war against an aggressor bent not only on destroying Ukraine’s independence. Russia seeks to overthrow the entire international order that emerged after 1989: the logic of law and voluntary alliances of equal partners is to be replaced with the logic of force, spheres of influence, and diktat of superpowers. Vladimir Putin is quite open about it," Sikorski said.

He added that "Poland is already facing various forms of hybrid aggression, such as planting disinformation, carrying out cyberattacks, exploiting energy dependencies, and instrumentalising migration pressure".

"In such difficult circumstances, cooperation is needed not only within the ruling coalition but also with those opposition politicians who are willing to cooperate," the minister stressed.

He reminded the words Donald Tusk's had written ahead of his joint US visit with President Andrzej Duda: "We may have different political views with President Andrzej Duda on almost everything but when it comes to our Homeland’s security we must, and we will, act together. Not only at this time of our visit to America." "And that is how we work," Sikorski added.

"Our offer of working together is not only for politicians. This address is intended for citizens. All of them. The security of our community should unite us.

"But for an agreement to be possible, we must stand in the truth."

According to Sikorski, the previous eight years of Polish foreign policy "were marked by a whole series of misguided policy assumptions, bad ideas, poor decisions and omissions".

To prove his point, he mentioned Poland's "chronic conflict with European Union institutions over the politicization of the independent judiciary and, consequently, incurring not only huge financial losses but above all the loss of credibility and prestige".

He also accused the previous government of "making miscalculations about an alliance with the US against the European Union and undermining trust in Poland on both sides of the Atlantic".

The MFA chief spoke about a number of myths the previous administration sustained "by pushy propaganda".

"In any mythology, you need a bad guy to vent negative emotions and pin all ills upon. In Law and Justice mythology, Germany served this purpose," he added.

"Obviously, the interests of Poland and Germany are not the same. Germany long held an attitude towards Russia which was different from Poland’s and—in our view— opportunistic. On a number of issues, Poland’s current ruling coalition takes different positions from those of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany"

"We have our distinct histories and distinct social, economic and security concerns. Still, differences of opinion do not mean that we are doomed to perpetual conflict. Germany is our democratic neighbour and largest trading partner, an important European actor, and a key NATO ally. Warsaw and Berlin need each other," the minister underscored.

Sikorski said that another myth was "the belief that Poland needs to choose between close relations with its European partners and cooperation with the United States".

"No, it does not! Poland’s growth and security must be based on two pillars: transatlantic cooperation—continued independently of American voters’ decisions—and European integration. Not only is there no contradiction between these two strands of action. Indeed, they complement each other. Good relations with the United States make Poland stronger in Europe, while initiative in the EU and good relations with our neighbours make us a more attractive partner in the eyes of US allies and investors," he explained.

The minister stressed that "Poland’s foreign policy should be characterised not by outcries of dissent towards some and submission towards others but by creative assertiveness". "As a country, we do have our interests, reasons, and arguments, we have our own achievements and we believe in our strengths," he added.

"We will protect them, effectively."

According to the foreign minister, Poland has four urgent tasks at hand. "Firstly, a safe Poland. Poland’s raison d’état dictates that we should develop our own defence resources and allied capabilities to deter aggression. It also dictates that we should provide maximum military and political support to Ukraine. It is clearly in Poland’s interest to keep the aggressor as far as possible from our borders. This is why a sovereign Ukraine must win this war and a peaceful international order must be restored in Europe," he said.

"The transatlantic alliance with the leading role of the United States remains the cornerstone of Poland’s security. Our goal is to maintain and strengthen US engagement in Europe while strengthening the European pillar of the Alliance in the spirit of strategic harmony between NATO and the European Union," he added.

The second task the minister mentioned is "a strong Poland in a strong European Union".

"Since the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the European Union has transformed into a geopolitical entity, capable of projecting onto its surroundings not only its economic clout, but also political and military one. It is in the interest of Poland to facilitate and contribute to this process. It is necessary to shift into higher gear in our development.

"The time of our advantages as a country of cheap labour force and cheap energy came to an end. Poland can and must become a developed country, competitive thanks to Polish inventiveness, good organisation, cultural appeal, openness to the world," he explained.

The third key task at hand is "an active and reliable Poland in the global community". "We want to be a country that not only benefits from international cooperation but is also ready to shoulder its share of responsibility for global challenges."

The fourth one would be "the reconstruction of a professional and apolitical foreign service and restoration of the MFA’s statutory role as the centre that shapes Poland’s foreign policy".

"Ukraine has the right to shape its future in an independent and sovereign manner as well as within its internationally recognised borders," Sikorski underscored.

"Maintaining the European Union’s comprehensive support for Ukraine’s independence, including its efforts on the path towards EU membership, will be a priority of our government’s European policy. Our strategic goal remains to gradually integrate Kyiv also into the wider Euro-Atlantic structures," he reassured.

The minister stressed that Poland's continued support for Ukraine's EU ambitions "will look after Polish interests—in particular the entities exposed to particular pressures such as small farms and transport companies".

"Strengthening the transatlantic community will be one of the priorities of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of next year. We need an effective coordination in three areas: support for Ukraine, improved security, and sanctions against Russia and Belarus," Sikorski told the parliament.

He stressed that "good relations with the US are vital for Poland’s security". "We want to further develop military cooperation and to maintain the presence of US troops in our territory."

"The US also plays an important role in modernizing our army. This summer, we expect the anti-missile base in Redzikowo to become operational," the minister noted.

"We will develop bilateral relations with Washington also in the area of economy, energy, innovations, and new technologies.

"Faced with new challenges, we must improve the effectiveness of European defence cooperation. We are examining the possibility of joining the European anti-missile shield programme, that is European Sky Shield Initiative. We will make use of the opportunities offered by the EU Common Security and Defence Policy," he explained.

The MFA chief said that Russia should be more afraid of a clash with the West rather than the other way round.

"This should be reiterated, not to fuel a sense of threat among Russians, because NATO is a defence alliance, but to show that Russia’s attack against any member of the Alliance would result in Russia’s inevitable defeat. Russia’s military and economic potential pales in comparison with the potential of the West.

"If we do not lose our willpower, Russia will be defeated."

According to Sikorski, "Poland is always ready to cooperate with a non-imperial Russia, respecting other nations’ right to self-determination and acknowledging that its neighbours also have their security interests".

"A Russia, which is embodied by the murdered Alexei Navalny and other prisoners of conscience: Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and Yevgeny Roizman. A Russia represented by all the Russians with a democratic and pro-European mindset, who, unfortunately, are a persecuted minority today."

Sikorski said that "the EU should react adequately to emerging crises". "That is why Poland will support a realistic reform of the EU which will contribute to increasing its competitiveness and power," he declared.

"We are not convinced that this requires reforming the Treaties, but we cannot exclude that some member states will make it a prerequisite for completing the enlargement process. As a country, we will then face a dilemma: to accept the Treaties reform, which might involve some compromises, or to prevent our Eastern and Southern neighbours from acceding to the EU, while such accession would be of benefit to us," the minister added.

In his opinion, the most controversial part of potential reform would be "the possibility of giving up the rule of unanimity in some areas and the proposed modification of the voting system". "Our task is therefore to establish a fairer voting system which will ensure that all countries have the same influence on the EU agenda—both before and after enlargement," he said, adding that it remained an open question "what kind of majority voting system would be the fairest".

Sikorski reminded that on January 1, 2025, will take over the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union. "As I have already mentioned, it will focus on security in the broad sense and start several months after the elections to the European Parliament. The Council of the EU will cooperate with a new European Parliament, a new European Commission, and a new President of the European Council."

"The shape of a new European Commission must be better adapted to the new political situation. Its priorities must include new challenges: from defence policy to the EU enlargement, treated with due gravity, and migration policy.

"During our presidency, we also want to show the inextricable link between the European project and such fundamental values as democracy and the rule of law. Poland offers a unique experience— a victory over populism and the temptations of non-liberal democracy," the minister said.

Sikorski declared that "bilateral relations with European countries will be one of the most important elements of our diplomatic efforts". "It is obvious."

He reassured Poland was fixing its relations with Germany. "We abandoned the confrontational tone and returned to a substantive dialogue," he added.

"We are reactivating a number of bilateral formats and looking for new areas of cooperation, also in terms of security. That is the reason why I keep regular contact with my German counterpart, including as part of the Weimar Triangle."

The minister stressed that Polish–French relations have also begun to improve in 2024. "I am pleased that France declares willingness to intensify its strategic partnership with Poland," he said.

"We hope for restoring the habit of intergovernmental consultations which should be aimed at cooperation, especially as it comes to the military and building European defence capacities," he added.

"Germany and France are our most important partners in the European Union and intensifying the cooperation within the Weimar Triangle will be among the priorities of Poland's foreign policy," Sikorski underscored.

Minister Sikorski also spoke about migration. "People have always migrated. So have we, the Poles. I was a refugee myself," he said.

"When legal and controlled, migration may be of benefit to migrants and host countries alike. Still, the right to migration is not human right and it must be subject to restrictions. And the countries are entitled to regulate who can stay on their territory," he stressed.

In his view, "irregular migration on a mass scale is a challenge not only capable of overthrowing governments but also dangerous to liberal democracy as such". "The current asylum system has been overburdened with excessive numbers of migrants," he added.

He then listed three things needed to tackle this problem. "First, we should combat the causes by improving economic and political situation of the countries in which major migration flows originate. Second, we must fight the criminal groups that profit from smuggling people on land and at sea as well as their accessories. Third, we have to create a clear path of legal migration for those needed by our economies and societies and come up with effective return mechanisms for those who have not been granted the right of residence in the EU."

"For these objectives to be fulfilled, we must not only cooperate supranationally but also develop a transparent migration strategy." he explained.

According to Sikorski, "Poland’s strength and security depend not only on how many divisions we have, but also on how many of them our allies and our enemies have".

"They also depend on the role that our country plays in the international community. On whether Poland will be perceived as a responsible member of this community. As a country able to see beyond its own narrow interests and to face global challenges shoulder to shoulder with others," he explained.

The minister also stressed that "the amount of Polish development and humanitarian aid has rocketed since Russia's invasion".

"Over the past two years, we have become the main donor of humanitarian aid for Ukraine. The ministries of the Polish government spent 16 billion euros in total on comprehensive assistance for Ukraine and Ukrainian war refugees."

Minister Sikorski assured Poland has been "following the developments in the Middle East with utmost concern".

"We recognise Israel’s right to self-defence in accordance with international humanitarian law. We condemn the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023 and unite in grief with the families of all the victims and the hostages still being held by terrorists

"At the same time, we would like to know whether Israel considers the possibility of coexistence with the Palestinian state—recognised by Poland—and, if not, what plans it has for the five million Palestinians whose lives it controls," the MFA chief stressed.

Sikorski also noted that "Poland condemned the unacceptable Israeli attack on a defenceless humanitarian convoy of the World Central Kitchen organisation, which resulted in the death of a Pole, Damian Soból".

"Let me express my deep sorrow on his tragic death. Self-defence in a just cause does not exempt anyone from responsibility for their own actions and for violating the laws of war. Poland has taken note of the apology made by the Israeli government, but we demand that such incidents never happen again, either to foreign volunteers or to Palestinian civilians," he underscored.