Poles would rather 'eat grass than become a Russian colony again,' says foreign minister

LONDON

Poland would be Russia's next target if Ukraine loses the war, the Polish foreign minister said, adding that Poles would rather "eat grass than become a Russian colony again."

"We think that if (Russian President Vladimir) Putin succeeded in conquering Ukraine, we would be next ... We will eat grass rather than become a Russian colony again," Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview with UK-based podcast The Rest is Politics on Tuesday.

It "has happened before," Sikorski said, apparently referring to periods in Poland's history when it was subject to Russian rule under imperial Tsars and then again under the former Soviet Union, broadcaster TVP World.

Sikorski said that public opposition in Poland to the potential threat of "Russian expansionism" is the reason his country has such high levels of defense spending, even at the expense of funding in other areas.

The Polish foreign minister added that, while Ukraine is prepared for the war to last another three years, Sikorski does not believe Russia can sustain it for that long.

The EU member states should more closely cooperate in common defense, as the bloc has "a synchronization problem" on account of sovereignty lying with each member country, he noted.

"I’m in favor of the European Union starting to have some defense capability of our own so that we don’t have to call on the United States in every emergency."

Touching on Ukraine’s accession to the EU issue, the Polish foreign minister said he believes Kyiv will "become a member of the EU at the beginning of the next decade" despite current opposition from Budapest.

"Europe approved Ukraine’s status as a candidate, and Europe unanimously agreed to start negotiations… Hungary is blocking progress, but it will happen eventually," he added.