After Polish politicians criticized President Andrzej Duda for doubting Ukraine’s ability to regain Crimea from Russia on Feb. 3, he issued a clarification.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stressed that Warsaw recognizes Ukraine’s independence within its internationally recognized borders.

“They have been repeatedly confirmed by the Russian Federation: starting with the Treaty of Nov. 19, 1990, the Budapest Memorandum of Dec. 5, 1994, and the Border Treaty of Jan. 28, 2003,” he wrote on X (Twitter).

Poland’s Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk emphasized that Crimea is Ukraine, and Russia is the occupier.

“The President is not obliged to speak English… However, he should speak Polish intelligently and not harm the interests of his country,” he said.

Other politicians from Duda’s opposition camp also reacted to his words.

Read also: Polish President Duda doubts Crimea’s return, Ukraine’s ambassador in Warsaw responds

Later, the Polish President published a post on X, stressing that his position on Russia’s attack on Ukraine “was and is clear from day one.”

“Russian aggression against Ukraine and the occupation of internationally recognized Ukrainian territories, including Crimea, is a crime,” Duda said.

“This war cannot end with Russia’s victory. Russian imperialism must be stopped, defeated, and blocked for the future. Ukraine must win because this war must be won by the free world. We all stand shoulder to shoulder with a free, sovereign, and independent Ukraine against aggression and brutal imperialism.”

He said during an interview earlier that he “does not know whether Ukraine will return Crimea,” but believes that it will return occupied Donetsk and Luhansk.

Ukraine’s Ambassador to Warsaw Vasyl Zvarych rejected these doubts.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war unleashed by Russia, Poland has consistently provided Ukraine with weapons and supported Kyiv’s membership in the EU and NATO.

Duda met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 16. It was their first face-to-face meeting since the so-called grain dispute. On the same day, Polish carriers unblocked the last two checkpoints on the border with Ukraine, which had been blocked since November, following a deal.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine