FM Sikorski: Poland loyal to US but will not be “doormat”

Poland will remain a loyal ally of the United States, but it will not be a “doormat,” Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told the Sejm on February 26, Do Rzeczy writes.

Addressing MPs and senior officials, including President Karol Nawrocki, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Sejm Marshal Włodzimierz Czarzasty and Senate Marshal Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, Sikorski outlined Poland’s stance on national security, the war in Ukraine, transatlantic relations, and European Union affairs. The debate following his speech is expected to continue until 17:30.

Sikorski warned that the global order is under strain, with power politics increasingly taking precedence over international norms.

“We see attempts to revive a concert of great powers,” he said, noting that some nationalists in different regions of the world aspire to divide the globe into spheres of influence.

“For Poland, such a development would be clearly dangerous,” he added, emphasising the country’s commitment to international law and universal rules, including the prohibition on the use of force.

Highlighting growing tensions between the US and Europe, Sikorski described the situation as a particular challenge for Poland. “The alliance and close ties with the United States have been the cornerstone of our foreign policy for decades, regardless of who occupied the White House, which party controlled Congress, or who governed Poland,” he said.

“But it is not Europe that issues territorial claims, imposes arbitrary tariffs, or interferes in party politics across the Atlantic.” He cited a recent survey showing that 54% of Poles now view the US as an unreliable ally, with only 35% expressing confidence. “No government can ignore such significant public sentiment,” he added.

Sikorski stressed that Poland’s security rests on NATO and the EU, while also pointing to regional cooperation with the Baltic states, the “coalition of the willing,” and the Polish-French treaty as key pillars of defence.

Addressing the country’s relationship with Washington, he insisted that NATO expansion into Eastern Europe was not aggressive, but welcomed by the countries themselves. He reaffirmed that the US remains Poland’s most important partner in military cooperation, with Warsaw committed to fulfilling its NATO obligations.

He acknowledged geopolitical shifts in the US. “We watch these changes with understanding, but also concern. We remember US support from presidents such as Wilson and Reagan, and we also remember Yalta,” Sikorski said. Pointing to recent UN developments, he noted that the US, like China, abstained from a vote on the inviolability of Ukraine’s borders. “Are we certain that US interests will always align with Poland’s? We have been and will remain loyal allies of America, but we cannot be doormats,” he said.

Sikorski welcomed US President Trump’s pledge to maintain, and potentially increase, American troop numbers in Poland. “On every occasion, I remind our partners that stationing troops here is cheaper than maintaining them in the United States,” he said.

Poland is prepared to host bases, missions, exercises, and maintain critical equipment for NATO’s eastern flank. He stressed that Poland must maintain a strong army capable of permanently deterring Russian aggression.

“The war in Ukraine remains the most serious challenge for Poland in the coming years. By the end of the decade, we must build forces capable of deterring Putin and develop parallel alliance structures,” Sikorski concluded.

By Aghakazim Guliyev