"I don't know if Ukraine will return Crimea, but I believe it will regain Donetsk and Luhansk" — Polish President
Warsaw, Poland (Svidomi) — Poland's president has questioned the return of the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula to Ukraine's contro in an interview with Kanał Zero.
He called Crimea "a special place, including for historical reasons" and noted that Crimea "was in the hands of the Russian Federation for a long time".
In response to the interview, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Zvarych, said: "Crimea is Ukraine: it is and will remain so."
"The temporary occupation of Crimea by Russia is a war crime for which it will be punished. The liberation of Crimea is our joint task and duty with the free world. We will undoubtedly do it," Zvarych added.
Duda's words on Crimea also outraged the politicians of the ruling Civic Coalition.
"It's a shame. Today, Duda says that he doesn't know what's going on with Crimea, because it "was in the hands of the Russian Federation for a long time". In August 2022, he claimed that Crimea is Ukraine, "just like Gdansk is part of Poland"," said Krzysztof Brejza a representative of the Civic Coalition.
MP Dariusz Rosati, Chief of Staff of the Civic Coalition Roman Giertych and State Secretary of the Ministry of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk also expressed their indignation.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski also responded to Duda's statement on the liberation of Crimea. The official stressed that Poland recognises Ukraine's independence within its internationally established borders, which have been repeatedly confirmed by Russia itself.
"Starting with the Treaty of November 19, 1990, the Budapest Memorandum of December 5, 1994, and the Border Treaty of January 28, 2003," Sikorski wrote.
Subsequently, Andrzej Duda stated on his social media that his position "on Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine has been and remains unequivocal from day one".
"Russia is a violator of international law, an aggressor and an occupier. Russia's aggression against Ukraine and occupation of internationally recognised Ukrainian territories, including Crimea, is a crime. This war cannot end with Russia's victory," the Polish president wrote.
It will be recalled that at the Crimean Platform in August 2023, President Duda stressed that the outcome of Russia's war against Ukraine, including the de-occupation of Crimea, would affect the preservation of the world order.
