Andrzej Duda made the remark as he visited Polish troops serving in a multinational NATO battlegroup in Ādaži, Latvia, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The president said: “Everyone who has seen Irpin, Borodyanka, Bucha, Mariupol and other places in Ukraine knows perfectly well why today there are allied forces on NATO’s eastern flank and why our soldiers serve in other countries as well.”
He added: “This is so that the things that are happening in Ukraine never happen in these territories, so that nobody assaults us."
Duda said that any attackers targeting NATO’s eastern flank would be “immediately repelled or destroyed.”
“And so attacking us doesn’t pay, and that’s how it should be,” the president stressed.
Duda also thanked the 200-strong Polish contingent for its service in Latvia.
Attempt to 'restore evil empire': Polish defence minister
He was accompanied by Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, who said: “We are learning from what is happening in Ukraine as we prepare our armed forces to act as a deterrent to the aggressor.”
Błaszczak added: “The Kremlin has decided to restore the evil empire … We’ll do everything to make sure that the evil empire isn’t restored, that’s why we are supporting Ukraine.”
Tuesday’s visit to Ādaži Base was part of the Polish president’s two-day visit to Latvia, during which he attended a summit of the regional Three Seas Initiative.
Tuesday was day 118 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, prezydent.pl