Polish President Andrzej Duda said that recognizing Russian gains from war against Ukraine was a “straight path to a new, great conflict, including a world war,” during the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council on Thursday.
“I am not saying this to threaten anyone, but a serious approach to European security requires taking all options into account. We must learn a lesson from the events of Feb. 24,” Duda said.
President Duda added that the only way to establish order in Europe and prevent similar attacks from happening in the future is by ensuring those responsible are held to account.
“Unfortunately, for the first time since the Second World War ended, we are dealing with such a glaring violation of rules that we all voluntarily agreed on to prevent the outbreak of another war in Europe,” said Duda.
The Polish president added that the Russian invasion against Ukraine was a challenge for every OSCE member state. There should be no acceptance of criminal aggression, of the breaking of humanitarian law or of deliberate attacks against civilian infrastructure, he told the council meeting.
“There cannot be acceptance of any agreements that would sanction forced border changes in Europe. Any peace talks must be held with the voluntary consent of Ukraine’s authorities,” said Duda.
The OSCE Ministerial Council is underway in Łódź in central Poland, which is also the final event summarizing Poland’s 2022 OSCE chairmanship. In 2023, the chairmanship will be passed to North Macedonia.
