Today, during a meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), there was an exchange of views with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski on the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council in the area of foreign policy. Małgorzata Gosiewska, a PiS MEP, spoke on behalf of the ECR Group.
During her speech, Małgorzata Gosiewska raised the issue of Andrzej Poczobut, a Belarusian opposition activist and journalist of Polish descent who has been imprisoned for four years by the Lukashenko regime. In this context, she mentioned the largest group prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War, which took place on August 1, 2024, in Ankara.
She recalled that when the U.S. began negotiations with Russia on this matter, it asked its allies whether they had any Russian spies in their prisons facing severe penalties. The Polish side named Rubtsov, a GRU agent, clearly outlined its expectations, and appealed for Andrzej Poczobut, among others, to be included in a potential exchange, “which was accepted by the Americans with understanding.”
“That was precisely the policy pursued by the Law and Justice government,” Gosiewska said, noting that after the elections, when Donald Tusk became prime minister and Sikorski became foreign minister, Andrzej Poczobut disappeared from the negotiating table. “You handed over Rubtsov without getting anything in return,” the MEP said, adding that “Poland was waiting for Andrzej Poczobut’s release, but so were his parents.” In this context, she recalled his father’s bitter words: “I would like to ask Polish officials for forgiveness. To apologize for disturbing their peace. I have to deal with Andrzej’s case instead of quietly drinking my coffee.” “How does that coffee taste to you, given that Andrzej Poczobut has been in prison for four years, fighting for his life under dire conditions?” the PiS MEP concluded her speech.
