By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2026-09-22 21:05:56 | Updated at 2026-09-22 21:50:45
1 hour ago
Poland is under near-daily air-raid warnings due to Russian drone incursions, the nation’s deputy prime minister says — as he warned that Vladimir Putin appears hell-bent on expanding the war in Ukraine.
Radosław Sikorski, in New York for the UN General Assembly, described the war next door as an “existential” threat to NATO ally Poland.
“Historically, every time Russia conquered Ukraine, we were next,” he told The Post.
Sikorski also revealed that he would personally nominate President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize if the Trump secured a “fair and honorable peace” for Ukraine.
But as to what that fair peace may look like, “that is for Ukraine to decide,” he said.
He was speaking as Poland seeks a permanent US base in its territory, with up to 15,000 troops in the face of increased Russian aggression.
Poland, a nation of 37 million people, has long had one of the highest levels of public support for the US of any ally. Europeans had mostly negative views of their alliance with the US and did not want American troops based there, according to a Politico poll earlier this year.
Poland was the exception: 24% of Poles surveyed viewed the US as a close ally, the survey found — more than double the rate for citizens of Germany, France or Italy.
Sitting down with The Post at the Polish Mission in Midtown Manhattan, Sikorski acknowledged that the planned base comes as President Trump is seeking to “reduce the US presence on the ground” in Europe.
“The eastern flank [of Europe] should be favored, because that’s where the threat is,” Sikorski said, adding that the US is “getting a good deal in Poland” with the new base.
“We pay $15,000 per annum for every US soldier. We’ve offered to build this base for you, which means that it would be cheaper for you to keep the soldiers and to exercise them in Poland than it is in the United States,” said Sikorski, who still has the clipped English accent he picked up at the University of Oxford, where his pals included future British Prime Ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson.
“What we [Poland] get is a signal to Russia: ‘Don’t you dare invade us.’ What you [the US] get is some of the best exercise grounds in the world and lower costs of keeping your army,” he said,
Sikorski warned that Russia is increasingly engaging in escalation and hybrid warfare in Poland, including drone incursions near the Polish border, threats to infrastructure, and cyberattacks.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also warned recently that Russia is planning “accidental” hybrid drone and missile strikes against Ukraine’s allies, including Poland, to test NATO’s resolve.
For countries that border Russia, such as Poland, a broader conflict is now on the horizon, Sikorski said.
“It’s the last thing we wish for. But we don’t decide it. It’s the aggressor, Russia, who is imposing this hybrid war on us, and who is apparently considering escalating this disaster. So we need to deter Putin from making his mistake even worse,” he said.
Would that mean Polish troops on the ground in Ukraine?
“We are already policing our own border from the air,” Sikorski said. “At the moment, we think it would be better for Britain, France, and Germany to do that. We have a big role to play in sustaining the logistical operation.
“We feel our first duty to NATO is to protect the Polish-Russian border,” he added.
