It was Putin’s decision not to join the West; We gave all encouragement: Polish Dy PM

POland’s surrogate ground government minister Radoslaw Sikorski on lord's day said his rural area gave Russian President Vladimir Putin constant encouragement to converge with the West, but he refused, fearing Russia would later become “a rival pole of integration”.Speaking at a session — ‘A continent in crisis: Russia, Ukraine, and the European story’ — moderated by the former Indian envoy Navtej Sarna at the 19th Japiur Literature Festival, Sikorski said, “Vladimir Putin was the first leader of Russia who came on the anniversary of the Second World War, which meant that he was willing to join the European narrative of where and why WWII started, instead of the Stalinist version. He appeared to be very close to condemning the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. That’s a big thing. He also visited Katyn, which is the the place of a massacre of Polish people by the Soviets in 1940,” said Sikorski.He, however, believed that Putin feared that Russia would become a rival pole of the integration if it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).“I think, as a result of the Arab Spring, he didn’t like the images of (former Egyptian President Hosni) Mubarak in an iron cage and (Libyan rebel Muammar Muhammed Abu Minyar al-)Gaddafi crawling out of a drainage pipe. A year later, there were also protests in Moscow against his return to the Kremlin. He felt it would be too dangerous and that Russia would eventually become a rival pole of integration. Hence, Russia no longer wanted to join the West and it was Putin’s decision. Although, we gave him every encouragement to be on the conversion convergence course with us,” he said.Referring to Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, he also maintained that Putin still has the mindset to control the entire Ukraine. “Putin still wants to achieve his ultimate goal to control all of Ukraine. When he says that (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky is the problem, what he means is that he wants to create a political crisis in Ukraine, which would allow him to place someone in charge to execute his wishes. It’s not just about territory. It’s about the geopolitical orientation of Ukraine,” he said.But, the war, according to the deputy PM, cost Russia badly. “Actually, Putin only wanted a special operation which would be over in a few days. But it did not work. Now, the war has cost Russia in military expenses and also in additional costs, which would be estimated at around a trillion of dollars.”In view of the rapid escalation by Russia, Poland has also increased their expenses in the defence sector, as Sikorski said. “We have doubled as compared to Europe’s overall defense spending. We have pledged ourselves to be spending 3.5% of our GDP on defense, which is almost at par with the United States. By the end of the decade, we will build a very strong army. And we are only committed to the defense of Europe. We don’t look at a global military empire. Currently, Poland is spending 4.7% of the GDP on defense.”“It’s only because we trust Russia. When Russia threatens anybody, you should trust them,” he said.However, despite building a strong military force, he also said that Poland is willing only to provide logistical support to Ukraine during their war with Russia. “We have given Ukraine more tanks than Germany, France and Britain put together. We were the first country to give Ukraine fighter jets, and we are also in the process of transferring another. But for the troops, I don’t want to be too brave in that.”“It’s better that we provide all the logistical support for such an operation, rather than be physically present,” Sikorski stated.The Polish deputy PM also appreciated the USA’s constant encouragement. “We need the US partnership more than others. I think Donald Trump is encouraging Europeans to develop stronger defenses. I give him credit, not only for encouraging us from the beginning of his first loan, but also for encouraging us to be more autonomous, and to be more capable of addressing lower order emergencies,” Sikorski said.Meanwhile, he also maintained that it would be ‘harmful’ for Russia if they join in a partnership with China. “Russia has become dependent on Chinese supplies of goods, use white goods, internet cyber services and so on. China has become the dominant partner. The partnership is based on self interest. Geopolitically speaking, it is harmful to Russia because it weakens their grip.”