Minutes: 19 February 2023, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on “Face the Nation”
Below is a transcript of an interview with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki broadcast on Sunday 19 February 2023.
Margaret Brennan: Welcome to Face The Nation. This week will be President Biden’s second visit to Poland since Russia started the war in Ukraine. For more information, please contact Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. good morning.
Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawicki: Good morning.
Margaret Brennan: President Biden is going to visit Warsaw. What do you expect from these visits?
Prime Minister Morawicki: I expect a very strong confirmation of our resilience and joint efforts to defeat Russia in Ukraine, because some Western European politicians, instead of saying And because Russia says it can’t win this war, and Ukraine can’t win it. We must change that paradigm and say that Ukraine must win and Russia must lose. I believe President Biden’s words will reassure all of Europe that the United States is with us in our fight for freedom and peace.
Margaret Brennan: You seem to be referring to recent comments from the President of France. Does NATO really want Ukraine to win this war and regain its lost territories?
Prime Minister Morawicki: I think so. I am convinced that this is the only way to restore peace and stability. I cannot imagine Putin and the Kremlin winning this war and peace and stability all around us. Because the nature of Russia, its very nature, is to conquer other countries. Russia actually has the worst colonialism, imperialism and nationalism of her 20th century.
Margaret Brennan: President Biden has said he believes the war must end with a negotiated settlement that favors Ukraine. You said last year that Poland would not negotiate with criminals. Does that mean there can be no peace if Putin stays in power?
Chancellor Morawicki: I just got here – to this interview from the Munich conference. The Munich Security Conference is a very important platform for exchanging views today, but another Munich Conference was held in 1938, when all the leaders of the Western world bowed to Hitler. And one year later, World War II broke out. Of course, you can negotiate, but it must be under the terms and definitions put forward by the Ukrainians themselves. It is up to them to define what terms are acceptable to negotiate with the Kremlin.
Margaret Brennan: Ukraine’s neighbor Moldova has warned it plans to overthrow its government and open a new front in the war. Putin’s allies recently said Russia would “next de-nazify and demilitarize Poland.” ‘should’, he said. Do you have any evidence that Russia is trying to expand into other countries, including yours?
PRIME MINISTER MORAWIECKI: First of all, we see more and more provocations around us. One of his missiles of the Ukrainian defense system fell on Polish territory, killing people. And this was a direct result of the rocket fire. A Russian rocket and missile attack on Ukraine. A few weeks ago, a few days ago, another missile rocket passed through Romanian territory. It was sent to Romanian territory and yes, the Russian army in Moldova, I see many fingerprints of Russian service. need help. Poland is providing financial support to help Moldova through this extremely difficult period.
Margaret Brennan: But when it comes to Poland, you’re in NATO, so if you go to NATO and ask for it, the United States has to come to your defense. has 11,000 U.S. military personnel on rotation, and we know the government wants more. Any indication from the Biden administration to send more troops or keep them on your land?
PRIME MORAWICKI: We are in discussions with President Biden’s administration to make their presence more permanent and increase them. However, I am also very grateful to you for sending me the new Patriot system and other very modern weapons and munitions. To some extent, this is also a proxy for the presence of soldiers, but of course the two go hand in hand. I am also reminded of the words of President Biden during his last visit to Poland last fall. He said that the territory of a NATO country is defended an inch or a square inch by him and that Russia has no intention of invading it. to those countries. And I am confident that, NATO members, we are all very safe. But it’s not just about us. It is also about creating stability around us, in our immediate neighborhood. but this is not correct.
Margaret Brennan: You offered Ukraine fighter planes, Soviet-era MiG jets, which the United States has rejected in the past. Any signs that they’re changing positions now?
PRIME MORAWICKI: Well, as you remember, madam, in the early days of the war there were many unimaginable things, but then the unimaginable became possible. So did the tanks, and so did the Patriot’s anti-air, anti-missile, and anti-rocket systems. And as for fighters, I believe that eventually there will be fighters delivered to Ukraine from the West. Poland’s position is that it can do this, but only in collaboration with other NATO allies, especially under the leadership of the United States.
Margaret Brennan: I have to leave you, but I want to ask you. Or have you pushed those issues aside because of the war?
MORAWIECKI PRINCESS: There is no source for these issues at all, madam. This is not a question of war, it actually puts those issues aside. We are introducing reforms to reform the post-communist judicial system, which have nothing to do with war or other issues. We communicate with the Biden administration very often. By the way, we made a deal. We have made compromises with the EU on the contrary – in the form of new legislation, and I believe those problems will be completely resolved.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay Prime Minister, we will be watching the visit. Thank you for your time.
Prime Minister Morawicki: Thank you. Thank you for inviting me.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mateusz-morawiecki-polish-prime-minister-face-the-nation-transcript-02-19-2023/ Minutes: 19 February 2023, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on “Face the Nation”