Polish defense minister calls for push to drive Russian troops out of Ukraine

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) - It is essential that Ukraine has the chance to push Russian troops out of its eastern territories, Poland’s defense minister told the Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday, days after Moscow declared it had annexed some of those territories.

"Until Russia is ready to accept a political solution to this conflict, guaranteeing the long-term security of Ukraine, we need to provide broad and comprehensive support for Ukraine," said Mariusz Blaszczak, who also serves as deputy prime minister.

"What Kyiv can achieve at the negotiating table is very closely related to the situation on the battlefield," he told the forum, a two-day meeting featuring top politicians and defense industry representatives from the EU and US.

Despite Russia’s declaration of annexation last week, Ukrainian forces have since won back some of the same land Moscow claimed was part of its territory.

“We must maximize the pressure on Russia to limit its ability to take action,” said Blaszczak. "Ukraine must win this war."

He called for ongoing support for Ukraine in the form of weapons, ammunition, equipment handling, as well as humanitarian aid. “It is also necessary to keep the door to NATO open, for new members, without exceptions, including Ukraine,” Blaszczak said.

After Russia launched the war, longtime NATO holdouts Finland and Sweden both began a push to join the alliance.

“Feb. 24 has become a reminder to all of us that the nightmares of a full-scale war in Europe are not uniquely a thing of the past,” he said, citing the date this year that Russia launched its attack on Ukraine.

“We hoped that we would never again be in a situation of full-scale armed conflict in Europe. Russia's aggression has shown Moscow's imperial ambitions, which completely disrespect European security architecture," he said, adding that Belarus, which has aided in Russia’s war on Ukraine, should face the same pressure as Russia itself.

“We are very pleased with the strong message of US President Joe Biden in Warsaw and Madrid when he spoke about further strengthening the deterrence and defense implemented by the US towards Russia. Now is the time to put this into practice. US leadership is absolutely fundamental in the whole process,” he added.

Last week, after referendums condemned by the international community as a "sham," Russia declared the annexation of the Ukrainian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and Russian-controlled parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

Türkiye has firmly rejected the annexation, calling them "a grave violation of the established principles of international law.”