During the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, in a debate titled “The danger of normalizing relations with Russia, including its participation in major cultural and sporting events,” PiS MEPs Adam Bielan and Mariusz Kamiński warned against attempts to warm relations with Russia, including allowing it to participate in international events, emphasizing that such actions threaten Europe’s security and constitute a form of legitimizing the Kremlin’s aggressive policies.
MEP Adam Bielan warned against attempts to gradually normalize relations with Russia, stressing that such actions pose a threat to European security policy. “Any attempt to normalize relations with Russia is not only the kind of naivety that the PiS government has always warned against, but it also runs counter to security policy,” he noted. He also pointed out that some Western politicians are still looking for loopholes in the sanctions regime, which, in his view, weakens the common policy toward Moscow.
Bielan warned against “normalization through culture,” which he described as “the shortest path back to the disastrous Nord Stream policy.” He emphasized that inviting Russian artists and athletes who support the regime constitutes “a slap in the face to the victims of the war.” He noted that Russia is not a partner for dialogue, but an aggressive state pursuing a neo-imperial policy.
“Allowing Russia to participate in cultural and sporting events is particularly dangerous. In Russian doctrine, sports are part of the propaganda system,” he stressed, pointing out that support for Ukraine cannot go hand in hand with the restoration of Russian influence in Europe.
MEP Mariusz Kamiński, in turn, noted that Russian aggression against Ukraine is still ongoing, and daily reports detail further acts of terror, the destruction of cities, and the killing of civilians.
“There is absolutely no basis for considering the normalization of relations with Russia in any respect. This also applies to culture and sports,” he said.
Kamiński emphasized that within the Russian system, culture and sports are tools of imperial policy and “Russkiy Mir” propaganda. As he pointed out, they are intended to build the image of an authoritarian state’s power and justify its expansion.
“Let’s remember that culture in Putin’s Russia is not Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, or Chekhov. That world was completely destroyed by communism,” Kamiński reminded the audience.
Referring to sports, the MEP assessed that Russia is seeking to bring its symbols back to international sporting arenas. He emphasized that there can be no tolerance for the presence of Russian colors in stadiums while a war is ongoing.
“Just as there should never be Third Reich flags at the Olympic Games, so today there must be no Russian flags in stadiums—flags stained with the blood of innocent victims. We will not consent to this,” he emphasized.
