Polish President Andrzej Duda doubts that Ukraine will be able to liberate Crimea after the war.
The politician made such a statement in an interview with Kanal Zero.
In particular, Duda doubts that Ukraine will be able to return Crimea. Regarding the occupied Donbass, the President of Poland expressed hope that Donetsk and Luhansk will be liberated.
"Today Russia is trying to win in Ukraine. I will say this: if Russia keeps the territories of Ukraine, then in fact it will be a victory for Russia, and then the probability of a new attack from Russia will be very high," Duda continued in the interview.
When asked about the liberation of Crimea, the Polish politician noted that he doesn't know whether Ukraine will be able to return the peninsula. At the same time, Duda has no doubt that Donetsk and Luhansk will return under Kyiv's control.
"I don't know whether Ukraine will regain Crimea, but I believe that it will regain Donetsk and Luhansk. Because in fact, if we look historically, it (Crimea ) has been in the hands of Russia longer," Duda summarized in the interview.
Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Zvarych, has already reacted to the Polish President's statement. The diplomat recalled that Crimea had always been and would always be Ukrainian territory. Zvarych called the de-occupation of the peninsula a common responsibility.
"Crimea is Ukraine: it is and will remain. International law is UN. Russia's temporary occupation of Crimea is a war crime for which it will be punished. The de-occupation of Crimea is our common task and obligation to the free world. We will do it without a doubt. We believe and work together," the diplomat added, commenting on Duda's words.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski also reacted to the statement, recalling that Warsaw recognizes Ukraine's independence within its internationally established borders. Separately, the diplomat noted that these same borders have been repeatedly recognized by the Russian Federation, signing the relevant documents.
"Poland recognizes the independence of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, which have been repeatedly confirmed by the Russian Federation: starting with the Treaty of November 19, 1990, the Budapest Memorandum of December 5, 1994 and the Border Treaty of January 28, 2003", - Sikorski said in a post.
As we reported earlier, Polish PM Donald Tusk promised to provide further assistance to Ukraine in the war against Russia.