“They failed to subjugate us then. They will fail to subjugate Ukraine, and us, now.”
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has a well-established track record of speaking his mind. In a powerful speech at the United Nations Security Council last week, he delivered a strong message correcting the Russian ambassador’s distortion of history, reaffirming Warsaw’s pivotal role not just within NATO but also as the linchpin between the West and East. Historically, Poland has navigated a uniquely challenging geopolitical position between a rock and a hard place, that naturally places us as an expert of the regional dynamics. This comes at a critical juncture as the world watches the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfold, which rather seems like a marathon than a blitzkrieg, and what is feared to become the next Iran-Iraq War. A slow-burning conflict.
“[Nebenzya] is saying that we, the West, are somehow trying to persuade that Russia can never be beaten. Well, Russia didn’t win the Crimean War, it didn’t win the Russo-Japanese war, it didn’t win World War I, it didn’t win the Battle of Warsaw, it didn’t win in Afghanistan, and it didn’t win the Cold War.”
Since the collapse of the USSR, nationalists within Russia have viewed the dissolution of the Soviet Union as an external scheme aimed at subjugating Russia into becoming a vassal state of Europe and the US. As a result, “protecting Russian minorities” evolved into a moral imperative, framing the reclaiming of lands “stolen” from Russia as a rectification of past injustices. But nationalist imperialism has long been Russia’s state ideology. Sikorski waded into the history of relations between Russia and Poland, noting that it was the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany that collaborated to invade Poland in 1939 and humorously suggested that a failed Russian attempt to capture Warsaw in August 1920 might be seen as a mere sightseeing trip. In 2024, Russia still continues to reinforce its self-perception as an empire entitled to imperial status. She wants us to know she doesn’t play second fiddle.
What makes Sikorski’s speech even more powerful is the fact he served as a war correspondent in Angola and Soviet-occupied Afghanistan between 1986–1989. Set out for Afghanistan as an unofficial correspondent for the British news outlets The Sunday Telegraph, Observer, and BBC, he found himself without security from Great Britain, as any official backing could have led to accusations of espionage. In 1986, The Afghan Aid agency had tasked Sikorski with gathering information about the local civilian population and assessing the state of the monuments in the city of Herat. The Soviet command frequently bombed Afghan towns and villages without cause, resulting in tragic outcomes, as civilians sought refuge in basements that offered little protection against the bombs and missiles. When Sikorski arrived on the scene, over 30 bodies had been recovered from the rubble. He documented the scene for which he received the World Press Photo award in 1987. Sikorski also documented the deployment of US Stinger missiles, a development that contributed to reducing Soviet aerial supremacy, ultimately leading to the Soviet Union’s defeat in the Afghan war and playing a role in the eventual collapse of the empire.
Source: © © Radosław Sikorski, World Press Photo 1988
Born in the city of Bydgoszcz, Sikorski left for the UK in 1981 to study English, where he pursued studies in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the University of Oxford. After martial law was declared in Poland in December 1981, he was granted political asylum and later obtained British citizenship. Yet, in August 1989, following the Fall of Communism, he returned to Poland, motivated by a desire to enact change in his country.
Why do I focus on Sikorski?
Sikorski embodies the essence of diplomacy I strongly admire — relentless, straightforward, and grounded in facts and history. His life decisions and actions have been a source of inspiration, shaping my own journey. I was just 16 years old when, amidst escalating violence by Mr. Yanukovych’s security forces around the Maidan in 2014, Sikorski delivered a chilling ultimatum to protest leaders: sign the deal or “You will all be dead.”. The result was Sikorski helped broker a peace deal and I was profoundly inspired by his character.
Thus, today, 10 years later at 26, following one of the most crucial elections in modern Polish history — 2023 Polish parliamentary election — and after almost a decade-long conservative rule, my optimism for the future of my country has reignited, which renewed my reflection on various political issues, conflicts, and foreign affairs.
I dedicate my research to international politics and conflicts, with a special focus on Central and Eastern Europe. My work examines the power dynamics between major world powers, explores the concept of world order, analyzes various military strategies, and considers Poland’s unique global position in the international political scene with the evolving nature of Polish society.