Brexit allowed the UK to respond quicker than EU states to Russian aggression in Ukraine, Polish foreign minister claims
Brexit allowed the UK to respond quicker than EU states to Russian aggression in Ukraine, the Polish foreign minister has claimed.
Radoslaw Sikorski said that the UK could move faster as it did not have to reach a consensus in a 27-member bloc on issues such as what sanctions to issue against the Kremlin and what aid to give Ukraine.
The experienced politician, who went to Oxford University with Boris Johnson and Lord Cameron, said the UK had found a very useful and honourable 'niche' due to its quick decision-making.
He told The Telegraph: 'You do the right thing before others, and therefore encourage the rest of us.'
He has backed Ukraine to win the war and reiterated the call from Lord Cameron, his fellow Bullingdon Club member at university, for Nato members to boost their spending on defence to the two per cent target.
Radoslaw Sikorski said that the UK could move faster as it did not have to reach a consensus in a 27-member bloc on issues such as what sanctions to issue against the Kremlin and what aid to give Ukraine
Mr Sikorski has backed Ukraine to win the war and reiterated the call from Lord Cameron for Nato members to boost their spending on defence to the two per cent target. Pictured: New Ukrainian recruits on a training exercise on May 11
Boris Johnson was one of the first foreign leaders to visit Ukraine when he secretly visited the country in April 2022, two months after Putin invaded in the country. Pictured with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Poland, which shares a long border with Russia, Ukraine and close Russian ally Belarus, is now spending four per cent of its GDP on defence.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to raise the UK's spending to 2.5 per cent.
Mr Sikorski said Poland was leading by 'example' and was now spending the highest proportion in Nato, including the United States.
He said he expects the 'overwhelming majority' of members to hit the decade-old spending target by the upcoming Nato summit in July.
He told the paper: 'Let me remind you that we only have a European defence budget as a benefit of Brexit – because before Brexit, as you know, Britain consistently vetoed [it].'
But he added that the UK had kept a security leadership role in Europe after Brexit and had done a 'great job' over Ukraine.
Mr Sikorski also praised his university colleague Boris Johnson, who he said was 'ahead of the curve on Ukraine'. As prime minister Mr Johnson was one of the first political leaders to visit Ukraine after it was invaded.
The ring-wing politician also praised his opposite number in the UK Lord Cameron, who he said the Polish security services collaborate with closely.
Radoslaw Sikorski (right) with Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron at a press conference on February 15, 2024, in Warsaw
Mr Sikorski also praised his opposite number in the UK Lord Cameron, who he said the Polish security services collaborate with closely
Pictured: Boris Johnson on his first visit to Ukraine on April 9. While there he praised the Ukrainian troops' staunch resistance that has 'defied odds' in rebuffing Russia's advance towards the capital of Kyiv
Mr Johnson had travelled to Kyiv to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in an unannounced visit
Mr Johnson returned to Ukraine several times to show his support, most recently on the two year anniversary of the Russian invasion on February 2024 (pictured)
Rishi Sunak met firefighters in Kyiv in January 2024 when he made a surprise visit to the country
A Ukrainian infantry soldier of the 23rd Mechanized Brigade waits to head toward the frontline in the Avdiivka direction, in the Donetsk region, on April 3, 2024
Ukrainian soldiers fire with mortar during a military training with French servicemen, in a military training compound at an undisclosed location in Poland, on April 4, 2024
However earlier this month his boss, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk made international news when he claimed Poles will be richer than Brits by 2030 because 'it's better to be in the EU'.
The Brexit-hating politician, 67, vowed to accelerate the country's economic growth, potentially leading to a higher GDP per capita than that of post-Brexit Britain within just five years.
Poland's PM was the European Council president during Brexit negotiations and was known for his extreme criticism of the decision to leave the EU.
He took the figures from a forecast by Keir Starmer's Labour Party based on World Bank data that said Poland would outstrip the UK in GDP per capita by 2030.
'A fierce debate is taking place in Great Britain caused by the World Bank's forecast that GDP per capita will be higher in Poland than in the UK in 2025,' Tusk said in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
'And I promise it: on the 25th anniversary, Poles will be richer than Brits. It's better to be in the European Union,' he added.
Tusk is now in his second stint as prime minister - a job he had left to become European Council president in December 2014 - after getting elected at the Polish general election last year.
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron walks past a display of destroyed Russian military vehicles in Saint Michael's Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 2, 2024
David Cameron (front) and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba lay flowers at a memorial wall to fallen servicemen, outside St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery on May 2
Lord Cameron (right) meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on May 2
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a presentation in Kazan, February 22, 2024
Donald Tusk made a bold statement earlier this month, claiming that Poland will be richer than Britain in just five years, thanks to being in the European Union
During a 2019 trip to Brussels, Tusk sparked fury when he said there is a 'special place in hell' for people who pushed for Brexit without a plan.
Last month Rishi Sunak visited Poland to meet with Tusk for talks about aid for Ukraine.
In a joint speech, the Tory leader and Polish PM said 'we are allies in the long term', following a £500 million pledge in military aid for Ukraine by the British government.
'We will never forget in Britain that it was Polish pilots that gave their lives to protect our country in the Battle of Britain,' they said.
'And today we're proud to stand together as NATO allies. Two of Europe's biggest military powers. Two of Ukraine's firmest friends.'
Sunak added: 'And across Europe, I think Poland and the UK are part of a growing wave of countries that are taking greater responsibility for our collective security.
'Poland is spending more of its GDP on defence than any NATO ally in Europe.
'And with today's announcement, the UK will be spending more in cash terms than any NATO ally in Europe.'
