During a speech given during the plenary session of the European Parliament on Tuesday 13 September, Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin emphasised that Poland and the Baltic States had been right all the way when it comes to Russia.
In her address to the assembly, the young head of state referred to the several challenges Europe is facing, with a particular emphasis on the ongoing war in Ukraine and the unfolding energy crisis. She expressed her certainty that Ukraine would eventually win the war and manage to push back Russian troops from its territory with support from the West.
Although she showed optimism when it comes to the unfolding of the ongoing war, she underlined that Ukraine’s victory is highly conditioned on the unity of the West.
“Ukraine will win this war with our support. There is no other alternative. In our hearts, the Ukrainians have already won it. […] Their counter-offensive is advancing at an incredible pace, and they have forced Russia to retreat from many parts of their country. […] Europe and the Western world have acted decisively and consistently. Unity is our greatest strength” – Marin explained
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“We must acknowledge how naive we have been about Russia and how mistaken we have been in our ideas about Russia’s actions. We should have listened more closely to our friends from the Baltic States and Poland, who have lived under Soviet rule. Together, we are now paying a high price for our dependence on Russian energy,” – she added.
On Wednesday, 14 September, the European Commission President gave her traditional speech on the State of the Union. Her address went in the same direction.
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“We should have listened to the voices inside our Union – in Poland, in the Baltics, and all across Central and Eastern Europe. They have been telling us for years that Putin would not stop” – the German politician stated.
As a matter of fact, Poland and its Central and Eastern European partners have been right all along. This is what British Poles’ editor George Byczynski reminded us during a panel discussion at the Economic Forum in Karpacz on 8th September 2022.
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“Poland was right about Putin, Poland was right about Nord Stream II, Poland was right about oil and gas blackmail, Poland was right about the weaponisation of migration. It’s time for Western Europe to admit: Poland was right!” he underlined publicly.
Image: Twitter (@vonderleyen)
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
