On the second day of the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, a debate took place on the need for unwavering EU support for Ukraine two years after Russia’s invasion of the country. The former head of Polish diplomacy, PiS MEP Witold Waszczykowski, addressed the issue.
“Russia’s wars against Georgia and Ukraine are part of Putin’s effort to dismantle the post-Cold War security architecture. By defending itself against Russia, Ukraine is fighting for its freedom, but it is also defending Europe and the right of nations to choose their alliances and paths of development. Europe, too, should defend these security principles.
The latest debate on Ukraine’s defense shows that many European politicians face dilemmas regarding Europe’s security principles. Let me remind you that the ‘Munich Compromise’ did not prevent the outbreak of World War II. The “Yalta Compromise” did not prevent the arms race during the Cold War. The pursuit of détente with the USSR did not halt its aggressive actions around the world. It was only President Reagan’s tough policy from a position of strength and the Stinger missiles supplied to the mujahideen in Afghanistan that led to the collapse of the “Evil Empire.”
Today, a supposedly united Europe within the EU has more tools to deter an aggressor. We can isolate Russia and the Russians from our part of the world. We can destroy Russia’s economy with effective sanctions. (Meanwhile, we’re threatening the Hungarians with this.) We can seize Russian funds frozen in EU member states. We can finally supply effective and modern weapons and ammunition produced for export by the largest European countries.
We can do a lot. But we don’t want to—out of a lack of will, not a lack of European capacity. The next debate should be about why Europeans still don’t want to defend themselves. Once again, they are choosing disgrace. Unfortunately, disgrace is usually followed by war anyway,” commented the PiS MEP.
