In an interview with Radio ZET, Krzysztof Gawakowski, the Polish Deputy Premier, said that President Volodymyr Zelensky was trying to get Warsaw to become involved in the conflict by asking Poland to shoot Russian missiles above Ukraine.
Gawkowski made his comments amid a growing diplomatic spat involving Kyiv and Warsaw. The dispute revolves around Poland’s support for Ukraine, as well as historical grievances.
“Zelensky wants Poland shoot missiles over Ukraine. This means he is wanting Poland to enter war. This means he is wanting Poland to be at War with Russia,” said Gawkowski. Gawkowski also serves as minister of digital affairs for the co-governing Left Coalition.
Zelensky’s statements are intended to drag Poland into a war with Russia.
Zelensky has recently criticised Poland for not delivering its remaining MiG-29 jet fighters despite previous agreement.
The president said that he “constantly requested” Poland to shoot down Russian rockets flying in their direction, especially to protect the gas-storage facility in Stryi, a town in Ukraine’s Lviv Oblast located about 100 kilometers (62miles) east of the Ukrainian border.
The Polish military has never intercepted Russian missiles or drones that have entered Poland’s skies during an attack on Ukraine. Warsaw reports that Poland’s allies have advised the government to be cautious when dealing with unidentified violations of airspace.
Gawkowski’s reaction was: “I feel the last words of President Zelensky were unworthy of a political figure who owes Poland much,”
“The equipment that was sent, the citizens who received care… Poland is a friend of Ukraine and a hub of transport. In such situations, it seemed to me you would say “thank you.”
Poland has been a vocal advocate of Ukraine on the international stage, urging Kyiv to get all the weapons it needs to win the war Russia started. Poland has also provided Ukraine around $3.5 billion worth of military aid since 2022, and hosts close 1 million Ukrainian refugees.
But bilateral relations between the two countries are far from perfect. Both countries have long-standing unresolved issues. Some of the recent disputes have been centered on the resolution of the Volyn Massacre, which was committed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in 1943-44 against Poles.
Gawkowski wasn’t the only Polish official who responded to Zelensky’s criticism. Radoslaw Radoslaw Sikorski, the Polish Foreign Minister, said that his country had done more for Kyiv than any other nation.
“We are trying to help but we are also a frontline country.” “Russia also threatens us and not everything is feasible,” he said.
Krzysztof Gawakowski, Polish Deputy Premier, said that Zelensky wanted Poland to fire missiles over Ukraine. This meant he wanted Poland to join the war.
The renaming was prompted by “changes in geopolitical reality,” such as the “obvious degradation of multilateral collaboration structures in Europe,” said Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian state-owned news agency RBK.
The Russian forces have suffered 1,260 casualties in the last day alone.
On Nov. 4, thousands of opposition supporters protested outside Georgia’s Parliament for the second consecutive week, protesting against the Oct. 26 elections, which they claim were rigged by Russians to favor the ruling Georgian Dream Party.
Denys Shmyhal, the Prime Minister, announced on November 4 that Ukraine had signed agreements with the World Bank for nearly $600m under the “Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Enterprise (RISE)” project.
Slovak media reported on November 3 that Peter Pellegrini, the President of Slovakia, had recently rejected four requests by Slovaks who wanted to join Ukraine’s armed services.
Throughout the campaign Russia was accused of spreading false claims about a variety of topics surrounding the elections, including disinformation regarding the candidates and election safety.
On November 4, Choe Son Hui, the North Korean Foreign Minister, met with Vladimir Putin, the Russian President in Moscow as Choe continues his state visit to Russia.
During her visit to Kyiv, the German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock announced that Germany will provide 200 millions euros ($217million) in winter humanitarian aid as Ukraine prepares itself for more Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
Annalena Bärbock, the German Foreign Minister, said that she was arriving in Ukraine and that “we are fighting this brutality by our humanity and support so that Ukrainians not only survive winter but that their country can also survive.”
According to the document, Kyiv will produce drones, parts and components for them, as well as electronic warfare systems, together with Vilnius.
In his evening address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “We see a rise in the number North Koreans and we don’t see a rise in the reaction of our partner.”
The six-page document envisaged Ukraine reducing its military to 50,000 soldiers, five times fewer than it had by 2022. It also envisaged accepting the independence of eastern Donetsk, and Luhansk, oblasts that were by then partially occupied by Russia.
After a phone call with Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister, Volodymyr Zelensky, said: “We expect to get it by the end this year.”
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Russia launched more than 2,00 strike drones in October, breaking its previous record of nearly 700 set in September.
In January, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree that allows foreigners who served in the Russian Army for a year on a contract basis, as well as close relatives of those individuals, to apply for Russian citizenship using a simplified process.
In a television interview on November 4, Andriy Yeromak, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office said that Ukraine does not hold direct talks with Russia about an energy ceasefire, but is open to the idea of a third party mediating the implementation the peace formula.
Another 15% of respondents said that they would be willing to endure the conflict for several more months. And 4% said that they could tolerate it for another six months.
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