“It is hard to deny this, of course. This is a crime which fulfils the features of a genocide”, said Polish President Andrzej Duda in an interview with CNN, referring to the massacre in Bucha.

In an interview with Dana Bash, the Polish president said that Russian propaganda about Moscow’s goal for the “denazification” of Ukraine shows that the country was looking for a false pretext “in order to carry out a massacre.”

“Dialogue with Russia has no sense,” Duda said. “One has to present very tough conditions to Vladimir Putin. One has to say, ‘Unless you meet these conditions, we don’t have anything to talk about.’ We are going to provide support to Ukraine decisively, we are going to increase sanctions regime because if you conduct a dialogue which does not achieve anything, it is only a game to buy time by Russia.”

Referring to frequent conversations between the President of France, Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin, the President of Poland said that “conducting such a dialogue, with zero results, is just playing for time”, and by conducting such talks, Russia is allowed to show “a civilized face”, while “on the other hand, Russians murder in the absolutely wildest manner”.

“Caring for its own security, Poland must provide all possible support to Ukraine to let it exist as independent, sovereign and free”, said President Duda.

Strengthening Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression is in the interest of the whole of Central Europe. He also admitted that in the current situation Poland must increase its defence spending because it is Poland that may become the target of Russian aggression in years to come.

Adrian Andrzejewski