Speaking to Russian navy personnel in St. Petersburg on Sunday, Putin said Russia had been "the only guarantor" of Ukraine's territorial integrity, predicting Kyiv would "sooner or later" lose land that once belonged to its neighbours – "not tomorrow, maybe the day after, in a year, two, 10, 15," according to Russia's Interfax news agency.
In a statement published on Monday, Poland's foreign ministry called the remarks "false and entirely baseless speculation" about "alleged imperialist ambitions" among Ukraine's neighbours, adding that the claims "suggest the involvement of Poland" in some kind of territorial carve-up.
It said this was "nothing other than disinformation and yet another attempt to stir up antagonism and tension between Ukrainians and the allies supporting Kyiv."
The ministry stated that Poland "has not made, does not make, and does not intend to make territorial claims against Ukraine in the future."
It went on to say that Poland "fully recognises, respects and consistently supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine within its legally established, internationally recognised borders," citing the 2003 bilateral treaty between Ukraine and Russia on their state frontier.
'Crude attempt at disinformation'
Warsaw described Moscow's suggestions of annexation plans as "a crude attempt at disinformation" and "a permanent feature of the information war."
According to the statement, Moscow's purpose was clear: "to try to turn European nations against one another and divert international attention from the brutal, illegal military aggression carried out by the Russian Federation."
The ministry closed by calling on Russian authorities "to stop making territorial claims against their neighbours."
(ał)
Source: PAP