Polish Secretary of State Wladyslaw Bartoszewski was welcomed to Texas A&M by The Bush School on Thursday for an opportunity for the public to hear his views on Russia’s war in Ukraine and what the conflict means for the world.
“My message is everyone has to wake up and believe we have to help Ukraine,” Bartoszewski said.
Bartoszewski stressed the importance of the United States and NATO member nations taking the initiative in providing armed weapons, energy and fuel instead of standing idol to ensure the safety and security of all nations worldwide.
Bartoszewski said that both China and Russia want to replace the U.S. as a global power.
“Russia wants to destroy the current world order and create chaos,” Bartoszewski said. “China is slightly more subtle, to only make changes that only benefit China.”
U.S. involvement in the war is a necessity, he said, because it dispels the reason Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded in 2022: He believed the U.S. was weak and lacked leadership after it didn’t sustain a strong opposition to Russia in 2014 when it invaded Crimea, Ukraine’s southern peninsula that has been occupied ever since.
“History does not repeat itself,” Bartoszewski said.
Bartoszewski said the countries in the NATO alliance must support Ukraine before it’s too late. He said he has full confidence in Americans because they see the “right choice” but that they can’t afford to wait.
“Otherwise, we will get a full-blown invasion on us,” Bartoszewski said.
Cyberattacks allegedly directed by China are another major threat Poland and Ukraine face, and Bartoszewski said Europe is not properly equipped to defend against it.
“We are subjects of unprecedented cyber attacks and are the number one target in the European Union,” Bartoszewski said.
With Poland being so close to the frontlines, Bartoszewski said people often think what they need most is more soldiers — but that’s an incorrect assumption.
“Our goal is not to bring more troops in but to improve the infrastructure,” Bartoszewski said. “We need to invest in roads and rails but also storage facilities and fuel.”
Bartoszewski made a commitment to Poland to stand with them on the frontlines against the Russian terror and to get Poland and Ukraine the supplies they need to combat the Russian forces to come closer to ending the war. He also praised the United States for being Poland and Ukraine’s biggest ally.
“This is our duty and what we are going to work on in Poland for the next few months and we want to do it with full assistance with the United States of America because America is our biggest ally,” Bartoszewski said. “By making our countries resilient and strong, we’ll get there.”
