China’s military aid to Russia would exceed the Rubicon in US-China relations, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in an interview with NBC News on Thursday. He also judged that Vladimir Putin has the support of the Russians comparable to that of Hitler in Germany, which is why the war in Ukraine could last for many years.
I think this is kind of a red line, a Rubicon for US-China relations
– said Morawiecki of the “Meet the Press” program, referring to Washington’s concerns and warnings about the possible supply of Chinese weapons to Russia.
“That sounds pretty serious.”
The prime minister also ruled that the approach of Russia and China is a serious problem and “could be the first step towards an alliance, which would be a major threat”. He also drew attention to Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s words when saying goodbye to Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow.
He said they now have an opportunity that hasn’t been in 100 years to change the order that was created 100 years ago. That sounds pretty serious
Morawiecki said.
When asked by journalist Kristen Welker whether he believed the war in Ukraine could even last several years, the head of government answered in the affirmative.
Russia has huge natural resources, human resources, patient society and public opinion. The vast majority of the Russian public supports Putin, which is not much different from the situation in the 1930s when the German public supported Hitler
argued the prime minister. He added that this makes Putin’s situation easier than that of Western leaders.
The prime minister pointed out that although the Ukrainians are fighting fiercely, the strength of the Russian army cannot be underestimated.
Therefore, we must prepare for a longer war
he announced.
When asked about the alleged Ukrainian attacks in Russia, Morawiecki said he had no specific knowledge of them, but that Ukraine has the right to carry out such actions and that it does not violate agreements with countries that support it. He added that he was not too worried that such attacks would lead to a direct war between NATO and Russia, because “Russia would lose such a war very quickly and the Kremlin knows that.”
The prime minister also ruled that despite internal disputes in the Kremlin and mistakes on the battlefield, Putin’s power and position are still strong and under no serious threat.
F-16 for Ukraine?
Referring to the issue of handing over F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, Morawiecki said that during talks at the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris he did not notice any change in the US position and that Poland also has no plans to F-16s. However, he noted that many things have happened in the past year that previously seemed unattainable, such as granting Ukraine candidate status for EU membership or deliveries of Western tanks.
He also judged that both Vice President Harris and President Biden are aware of the historical importance of the conflict, but that “maybe not everyone in Western Europe understands it equally.” He added that if Ukraine loses the war, “we will lose decades of peace and stability”.
Commenting on Berlin’s agreement to the transfer of Polish MiG-29s, originally from Germany to Ukraine, the head of the Polish government stated that he was not surprised by this decision, but he also had no intention of sending the Germans into the especially since it was their duty in light of their previous wrong attitude towards Russia and cooperation on energy and Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Without these two gas pipeline systems, Putin probably would not have attacked Ukraine
argued the prime minister.
Problems with Ukrainian grain
When asked about Polish society’s fatigue with the war in light of the role Poland was taking on, including hosting Ukrainian refugees, the Prime Minister admitted that he feared such fatigue, pointing to the example of trouble with the influx of Ukrainian grain, which led to peasant unrest and confusion on the political scene. He stressed that he has discussed this with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal in Washington and hopes for a quick solution to this problem.
However, he noted that refugees themselves do not cause internal problems, on the contrary – they positively affect the Polish economy.
They contribute to the growth of our GDP. They pay taxes, they pay social security, and I’d venture the hypothesis that we don’t pay more out of our budget than we earn from their hard work
said the prime minister.
Morawiecki admitted that he also feared the war-weariness of American society, especially in light of the upcoming presidential election.
Primaries will be held early next year and this could have serious consequences for attitudes towards Ukraine. Therefore, I think this spring and summer offensive is even more important to develop a good negotiating position for the Ukrainian authorities and President Zelensky. This is very important because God knows what will happen next
said the prime minister.
Referring to his visit to the Abrams tank production plant in Alabama, Morawiecki said he told his interlocutors there to produce tanks as soon as possible, because if the production rate is high, Poland can order more tanks, in addition to the 250 new Abrams ordered.
In response to the leak of classified US intelligence documents, he assured that he still relied on US services despite this scandal.
It’s a shame, but these things unfortunately happen
said the head of government. At the same time, he recalled cases of government email leaks in Poland and an espionage scandal in Germany. He also added that Poland maintains frequent contacts with US services, and that he met twice with the coordinator of these services, the director of national intelligence Avril Haines.
I know that new procedures will be put in place to prevent these unfortunate occurrences in the future
– he said. He also added that he fully agrees with the assessment and trusts President Biden’s judgment, who said the documents disclosed are not critical.
kk/PAP
Source: wPolityce