Poland’s former president and leader of the Solidarność movement Lech Wałęsa urges next generations to defend democracy, warning that populists and demagogues will “set the world on fire”.
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Poland’s former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa spoke of the ongoing developments in Russia's war in Ukraine as he attended the launch of Euronews’ Polish language service in the capital Warsaw.
Walesa spoke of the Ukrainian people’s struggle as they continue to endure the burdens of war after more than three years of relentless Russian attacks.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, prompting most Western nations to rush to their aid, with no end in sight for the fighting.
The new Washington administration under US President Donald Trump is determined to change that and bring an end to the fighting. But, unlike what many would have hoped — continued US support for Ukraine — the Trump government appeared to endorse a more Russia-friendly tone.
A meeting between Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month turned sour after Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated and shouted at the Ukrainian leader in the White House’s Oval Office.
Shortly after, Washington announced various cuts from its support for Kyiv, such as halting intelligence sharing and suspending military and financial aid to the embattled country, in an effort to pressure and force Zelenskyy to the negotiating table, with no favourable guarantees.
Walesa expressed concern, warning that forcing Ukraine into a deal for the sake of achieving peace may come with a detrimental price tag.
"I'm afraid they will force Ukraine to make a poor compromise, only that again looking at it logically, it will be a waste of 6-10 years according to my calculations and then it will all turn around,” Walesa told Euronews.
The former Polish leader also noted that Ukraine is working on advancing civilisation, slamming Russia’s Vladimir Putin – and Trump – noting that their actions are regressive and backwards.
"What Ukraine is doing is due to the development of our civilisation, what Russia and even Trump are doing is retrograde, it is going backwards in development."
Walesa also highlighted the need for European defences to combat the Russian threat and prevent the war from spilling into the wider region.
"We need to defend ourselves, we need to create protective umbrellas, but only so that there is room for reflection there, so that there is systemic change there, and so on. This should be done, it’s not defeat, or victory, because there will be no winners here."
The Nobel laureate also noted that the rise of populists and demagogues in Europe poses a significant threat to democracy.
He urged the next generations to step up and defend democracy and work hard to protect and maintain it.