“Poland should be armed, buy military equipment, modernize and increase its army,” Zbigniew Brzeziński told an interview with Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
“Poles must rely on each other to be able to defend themselves as long as possible,” said Brzeziński, the former National security adviser under the 39th US President, Jimmy Carter.
The Polish-born Brzeziński – who was one of the top international-relations experts during, and after, the Vietnam War – said that in the case of an attack on Poland, NATO could have its hands tied, and take some time to respond.
This is because Greece is part of NATO, and since it has close ties with Russia, the Southern EU country could veto a military intervention, Brzeziński said.
The political analyst added that it is not necessary for Ukraine to be in NATO. “This could even be harmful. For Kiev to be part of the [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] as well as the EU would be too big a slap in the face of Russia.”
In a separate interview for Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland’s Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, said that “No war is forthcoming, and Poland is safe.”
These claims seem to directly contradict the statements made by the US expert.
Poland has the ability to defend itself, Siemoniak said. “The red line between NATO and the rest of the world is very clearly marked,” the Minister told the daily.
Siemoniak added that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not dare attack NATO. This would be extremely irresponsible from his point of view, Siemoniak, who is also Poland’s deputy Prime Minister said, adding that NATO is many times stronger than Russia.
Siemoniak explained that despite its geographical stature, Russian economy is smaller than that of Italy, while in terms of population, it is slightly larger than Japan.
“Russia cannot be ignored, but one cannot panic,” Siemoniak said.
“We should take care of our own defense, protect our interests with NATO, to develop a constant presence in Poland. (rg)