Russian President Vladimir Putin warns Poland that any form of aggression against its ally, Belarus, will be considered an attack on his country itself.
The warning comes as the Russian strongman accused the NATO member of having territorial ambitions in the former Soviet Union region. In Putin's remarks on Friday, he said that Moscow will react to any aggression against Belarus, which he said forms a loose "Union State" with Russia, with all of the means at their disposal.
Russia Warns Poland Against Aggression Against Belarus
The situation comes after Warsaw's Security Committee on Wednesday decided to move military units to eastern Poland. It was a decision made after members of the Russian Wagner mercenary group arrived in Belarus.
In response to Putin's accusations against Poland, Warsaw authorities denied any form of territorial ambitions in Belarus. The Russian president also said in his statement that the western part of Poland was a gift from Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to his country and that Moscow was reminding the Poles about it, as per Reuters.
In a Twitter post, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecky said on Friday evening that Stalin was a war criminal who was guilty of the death of hundreds of thousands of Poles. He noted that there is nothing to debate regarding historical truth.
The Polish official added that the ambassador of the Russian Federation will be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The situation comes after Belarus on Thursday said that Wagner forces started to train its special forces at a military range located just a few miles from the border with Poland.
In recent weeks, Russia has started stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus for the first time in history. The Kremlin noted that Putin was planning to meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday.
The Russian president also ordered the director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergei Naryshkin, to monitor Poland's potential intention to "occupy Western Ukraine." However, there has been no evidence of such a claim being true, according to Yahoo News.
Moscow's Territorial Claims
Additionally, Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin on May 21 blamed Poland for allegedly "betraying historic memory," claiming that the country owes more than $750 billion to Russia for its liberation from Nazi Germany and the reconstruction of the nation.
Morawiecky said that Russia has, for centuries, been an expert in "turning things on their heads to pull the wool over our eyes." His remarks were a response to the Russian president's wild claims.
Poland's deputy minister coordinator of special services, Stanislaw Zaryn, also criticized Russia's lies about his country as well as trying to spread misinformation regarding the truth of its war against Ukraine.
A professor of international affairs at the New School, Nina Khrushcheva, said that the Russian president's remarks were a message that Poland should be grateful to the Soviet Union. Instead, Warsaw has become more and more like an enemy of Moscow.
The great-granddaughter of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev added that Putin's remarks were also a message to Ukrainians to remind them that for years, they have not been in good relations with Poland, warning them that they are currently being fooled, said Aljazeera.
