Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski delivered an exceptionally strong statement to Russia during a session of the UN Security Council, urging Moscow to end its war against Ukraine. Addressing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov directly, Sikorski said he should tell President Vladimir Putin that “enough is enough.”
Sikorski argued that, despite years of fighting, Russia has not achieved its original military objectives and now faces an economically far stronger coalition of countries.
Sikorski compares the economic power of Russia, Poland, and NATO
During his speech, the Polish minister recalled that Russia has, in his words, attempted to capture Donbas for more than twelve years and Kyiv since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
He proceeded to compare the economic strength of the parties involved.
Sikorski stated that Poland’s GDP is roughly half of Russia’s, while the European Union’s economy is about ten times larger than Russia’s, and the NATO member states collectively hold an economy approximately 25 times the size of Russia’s.
From these statistics, he drew a political argument: in his view, Russia cannot succeed in a long-term conflict against the coalition supporting Ukraine.
This represents Sikorski’s own assessment of the war’s development, not an independent forecast of its outcome.
Sikorski has used similarly strong rhetoric before. As previously reported by Aktualizované.sk, he stated in early September that, should Russia attack NATO, the alliance would be able to achieve a military victory over Moscow.
“You can kill, but you cannot win”
The sharpest part of Sikorski’s speech was directed squarely at the Russian delegation.
Sikorski said that while Russia could continue causing casualties, in his opinion, it cannot win this war.
He then called on Moscow to stop threatening Europe and destroying Russia’s own future.
In closing, Sikorski addressed Lavrov directly, asking him to tell Putin that the war has already lasted too long.
Poland among Russia’s strongest critics
Since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Warsaw has been one of Ukraine’s most prominent supporters in Europe.
Poland has also sharply increased its defense spending, purchasing new tanks, aircraft, and air defense systems and boosting its military presence on NATO’s eastern flank.
The rhetoric between Warsaw and Moscow has intensified in recent weeks.
Aktualizované.sk also reported that Putin’s aide Nikolai Patrushev responded to Sikorski’s statements with a threat that, in the event of a direct conflict, Polish statehood could disappear within days.
This is an opinion expressed by a Russian official, not an independently verified military prediction.
Russia rejects ceasefire at same forum
Sikorski’s address came as discussions about a potential halt to hostilities were taking place in New York.
Poland joined dozens of countries in calling for Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
However, Sergei Lavrov rejected a temporary pause in the fighting.
He claimed that Moscow does not want a break in hostilities, arguing that Europe would only use such a pause to further arm Ukraine.
Instead, Russia insists on the need for a “permanent” solution that would take its demands into account.
Ukraine, however, rejects these demands since some would require accepting Russian control over occupied Ukrainian territories.
Verbal exchanges show the positions remain far apart
The statements by Sikorski and Lavrov demonstrated just how far apart the diplomatic stances of the two sides remain.
Poland and other supporters of Ukraine continue to demand an end to Russian aggression and respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Moscow, meanwhile, conditions an end to the war on acceptance of its security and territorial demands.
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Lavrov rejects Ukraine ceasefire at UN, insists Russia wants permanent agreement
Sikorski’s speech does not signal a change in Polish policy but rather a further very public affirmation of Poland’s position on the UN floor.
While Moscow refuses a temporary ceasefire and Warsaw calls for an end to Russian military operations, the space for compromise remains limited even after the latest negotiations in New York.
Photo: AI illustration
This article was translated from the original Slovak version with the assistance of AI.
