In Gdansk Sikorski recalled wartime scars to argue that reconciliation enabled European unity, suggesting the same pragmatism can advance Ukraine’s EU membership.
In Gdańsk, during a YES Forum discussion, Radosław Sikorski, Poland’s Foreign Minister, spoke about the history of the EU’s origins and its significance for the current Ukrainian–Polish debate over Ukraine’s membership in the EU.
Sikorski, who had not been listed as a speaker in the event program, took the floor after former President Lech Kwasniewski’s speech and dedicated his remarks to the Ukrainian–Polish topic, noting that this disagreement should not hinder Ukraine’s entry into the EU.
He explained his position with an example from the history of Alsace – a region that changed hands between France and Germany several times when Sikorski was a Member of the European Parliament and traveled to Strasbourg. According to him, there, tourist attractions are combined with numerous military cemeteries, and, despite a long conflict, the border remained where it had been before – along the Rhine. He rhetorically asked: why were there these killings?
There, tourist attractions are military cemeteries with literally millions of people
– Radosław Sikorski
With such a detailed history, Sikorski tried to emphasize that the prototype of the modern EU was born despite the complex historical backdrop between France, Germany, and other countries.
European integration began in the 1950s not as a process among friends, but as a process among very recent enemies who had killed one another. Yet the leaders had the wisdom to forge such an union of coal and steel economies so that a new war would be impossible
– Radosław Sikorski
According to him, this historical perspective adds optimism regarding the integration of Ukraine and Poland into the EU, as between them there has historically been far less bloodshed compared with previous stages of European integration.
European integration is a process of peace, so that the carnage of the past does not repeat itself
– Radosław Sikorski
In Gdańsk, EU Commissioner Kos also spoke, explaining why Ukraine should become a member of the EU and what is missing in the negotiations. At the end of the discussion, Sikorski emphasized that the history of EU integration demonstrates the possibility of moving forward together for peace and stability in the region, and this lesson is important for the future of Ukraine and Poland in the European context.
In summary, Minister Sikorski expressed the conviction that Ukraine’s path to the EU, modeled on the pattern of past European integration, could serve as an example to strengthen the partnership between Kyiv and Warsaw and contribute to lasting peace in the region.