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If Ukraine falls, China may attack Taiwan, Polish PM warns

13.04.2023 21:30
If Ukraine falls to Russia, China may be encouraged to invade Taiwan shortly afterward, Poland’s prime minister has said.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington on Thursday, April 13, 2023.Twitter/Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland

Mateusz Morawiecki issued the warning in a speech at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington on Thursday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

The Polish prime minister, who is on a three-day visit to America, said: "God forbid, if Ukraine falls, if Ukraine gets conquered, the next day China may attack Taiwan."

He added, as quoted by the Reuters news agency: "I see lots of connectivity, lots of interdependency between the situation in Ukraine and the situation in Taiwan."

According to Morawiecki, the relationship between Russia and China “is key” to the future of the world.

He said he was “very much concerned” about Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and expressed hope that China would not “cross the red line of delivering weapons to Russia.”

‘If we lose Ukraine, we will lose peace for decades’

Morawiecki urged Ukraine’s Western allies to “wholeheartedly” support Kyiv with weapons as it fights the Russian invasion. 

He cited the United States and Poland as being at the forefront of providing military assistance to Ukraine. 

The prime minister said that Ukraine sought to “gather as many weapons as possible for the spring offensive,” which “can be very important for the next phase of the war.”

Morawiecki added that “the level of determination” among allies would be “critically important” for Ukraine’s chances to succeed.

He warned: “If we lose Ukraine, we will lose peace for decades. Failure in Ukraine could be the beginning of the end of the Golden Age of the West.”

The Polish prime minister added: “Ukraine’s victory is a guarantee not only of reconstruction but of strengthening of our economic power.”

Poland to deliver ‘next portion’ of MiG-29 jets to Ukraine: PM

Responding to a question from Britain’s The Guardian newspaper about whether Poland would provide a next batch of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, Morawiecki said: “Yes, we are going to deliver the next portion of MiG-29s to Ukraine.”

He added that Poland was “filling the gap” left by the transfer of the Soviet-era MiG-29s to Kyiv.

The prime minister said Poland would receive “at least 32” F-35 stealth jets from the United States “over the next couple of years” to complement an existing fleet of 48 F-16s.

Morawiecki also noted that US F-22 Raptors recently arrived in Poland to help secure the skies over NATO’s eastern flank.

Europe needs "Polish-American bond'

During his speech at the Atlantic Council, which also focused on Polish-American economic cooperation, Morawiecki emphasised the role of his country's alliance with the United States, the PAP news agency reported.

He said: “America is Poland's indispensable partner. But Poland is also an indispensable link in Washington's transatlantic policy. Europe today needs the Polish-American bond as never before.”

Morawiecki added: “Poland needs the US, but the US needs firm European allies that actually care about transatlantic cooperation. Poland is one of very few states which are equally pro-American and pro-European. We are an ideal keystone binding transatlantic relations.”

Thursday is day 414 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAP, Reuters, wpolityce.pl, Atlantic Council