Polish PM calls on Germany to supply weapons to Ukraine
The Polish prime minister has urged the German government to provide “all kinds of weapons” to help Ukraine fight off Russia’s invasion.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (centre) speaks in Berlin, Germany, on Monday, January 16, 2023.PAP/EPA/Clemens Bilan
Mateusz Morawiecki made the appeal in Berlin on Monday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The Polish prime minister made a speech at a ceremony in honour of conservative German politician Wolfgang Schäuble.
The former German lower-house Speaker, from the conservative CDU party, is celebrating 50 years in parliament, news outlets reported.
Strengthening Polish-German relations
Morawiecki told his audience in Berlin: “It may sound like a paradox, but in the face of war and crisis, focusing on economics and development is not enough. We need politics of freedom and solidarity. And its source can and should be the strengthening of Polish-German relations.”
‘I call on German government to supply all kinds of weapons to Ukraine’
He urged Germany to provide comprehensive security assistance to Ukraine as it battles the Russian invasion.
Morawiecki warned: „A defeat for Ukraine could become a prelude to World War III, so today there is no reason to block support for Kyiv and postpone matters indefinitely.”
He said: “I call on the German government to act decisively by supplying all kinds of weapons to Ukraine.”
Morawiecki went on to say: “Today Poland, Germany and Europe find themselves at a unique point in history. Unfortunately, 30 years of liberal peace have turned out to be three decades of illusion. Western Europe too easily believed that the Russian bear could be tamed.”
He cautioned: “Dealing with Russia is like making a pact with the devil. It became a noose around the neck of countries dependent on Russian gas. What for the West was just a matter of failed business interests has become a matter of life and death for countries like Ukraine and Poland.”
Morawiecki also spoke about Poland’s role in the European Union. He told the gathering in Berlin: „The history of Poland is a history of freedom. The history of democracy in Poland dates back to the 15th century. Poles do not need to be schooled in democracy or the rule of law. The only thing we should learn together is cooperation for the future of Europe.”
Before his departure to Berlin, Morawiecki said he would “talk to German politicians of various persuasions about sending tanks to Ukraine.”
Morawiecki said that „for Poland to be able to re-export Leopard tanks to Ukraine, Germany, as the producer, must give its consent.”
He added: “I can’t imagine Germany not giving its consent as soon as possible.”
Last Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda promised Poland would send a company of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, wpolityce.pl
