Poland will not become 'Russian colony again,' foreign minister says

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) - The Polish foreign affairs minister said Wednesday that his government "will do everything necessary" to prevent Poland "from becoming a Russian colony again.”

“We have a saying in Poland: Every country has an army, either its own or someone else's. In the long run, it's cheaper to keep your own,” Radoslaw​​​​​​​ Sikorski said at a congress in Poznan in western Poland.

Poland, a key ally of Ukraine in its war with Russia, was partitioned by Russia in the 19th century and dominated by the Soviet Union during the communist era that ended in 1989.

In the context of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, Sikorski said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's country wants to be like Poland. “It wants to become a Western, democratic and economically free country, and we only need to help with this,” he said.

"Europe and the United States have economic potential worth approximately €14 trillion or dollars each, and Russia - worth less than 2 trillion. If we re-industrialize our defense, we will be able to surpass them in industrial production and Ukraine will win,” he said. “However, we are doing it too slowly." ​​​​​​