Radoslaw Sikorski studied at Oxford with Boris Johnson and Lord Cameron. Photo: Piotr Wojczyk/Picture Doc/Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Brexit has allowed Britain to quickly respond to Russian aggression and claim a leading role in helping Ukraine, Poland's Foreign Minister told The Telegraph.
Radoslaw Sikorski said the UK can act faster than EU member states. It did not need to reach consensus in the 27-member bloc on issues such as sanctions against the Kremlin and aid to Ukraine.
“Britain has found its niche, a very useful and honorable one, namely to take advantage of its ability to make decisions quickly. You do the right thing in front of others and therefore encourage the rest of us,” he said.
Mr Sikorsky said it would be “ideal” if Ukraine won the war and echoed Lord Cameron's call : The UK Foreign Secretary called on NATO allies to reach the defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP.
Poland, which borders both Ukraine and Russia, has increased its defense spending to 4 percent of GDP. year. The UK has pledged to increase its spending to 2.5%.
“Poland is leading by example. Even more than the UK, because this year we are spending 4 percent, which is the highest share in NATO, including the United States,” Mr. Sikorsky said.
He said he expected an “overwhelming majority” of allies to achieve the goal, which was set a decade ago at a July NATO summit.
“A welcome change in British policy”
“It is long overdue indeed,” said the Oxford-educated minister – who attended university with Boris Johnson and Lord Cameron.
Mr Sikorski spoke after Lord Cameron, his Bullingdon Club colleague, at the start this month called on European allies to increase their defense spending.
“Well, this is a very welcome change in British policy,” he said.< /p>
“Let me remind you that we only have a European defense budget as a benefit of Brexit – because before Brexit, as you know, The UK has consistently vetoed [it].”
But he added that Britain retained its role as a security leader in Europe after Brexit.
Mr Sikorsky said: “In absolute terms In figures, the UK spends the most and has done a lot of work in relation to Ukraine. We are very grateful.
“Britain has stood up to Putin consistently well. I suppose the Russian death squads in Britain helped, in that sense, to warn you of the nature of the beast.
“Boris was ahead of the curve on Ukraine, and David [Cameron] worked with us. Very close. We communicate very often, our security services work closely together.”
“We respect your decision.”
This month, Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, said that the Poles will be richer than the British in five years because of Brexit .
He took the figures from Labour's forecast, based on World Bank data, which said Poland would overtake the UK in terms of GDP per capita by 2030.
“Living standards depend on at least two factors. Number one is current income. Number two is accumulated wealth,” Mr. Sikorski said.
“Britain was richer than Poland for a thousand years, and you have some assets – a global language, top universities, Shakespeare, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the British Museum, London – that we simply don’t have. So don't worry. You will be richer than us for a long time.”
“I think we have more motorways now,” he added, which is true in England, but not the whole of Great Britain.
“ When I became a refugee in Britain in the early 1980s, I could not imagine a world in which Poland was in the EU and Britain was not,” he said, before admitting that he never expected his old friend Mr Johnson will be the man who gets Brexit done.
He added: “We respect your decision and we respect your preference to work closely with the EU or otherwise. The fact is that Great Britain was once in the chamber of the Foreign Relations Council, and now it has to ask others what happened inside that chamber. I wouldn't call it an upgrade to your status.”
He confirmed that he had already engaged several times with Labour, which if elected will seek closer ties with Brussels, on foreign policy issues.
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