Poland's foreign ministry blasts Putin's 'primitive disinformation' on western Ukraine
Polish authorities have issued a sharp rebuttal after Vladimir Putin said Ukraine would eventually lose its western regions to neighbours including Poland, Hungary and Romania. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the remarks a cynical attempt to drive a wedge between Kyiv and its allies.
Putin's remarks on Sunday
On Sunday, July 26, during Navy Day celebrations in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin told servicemen that Ukraine's western lands were a "gift from Stalin" and predicted that these territories would eventually be lost to neighbouring states. He claimed that only Russia had guaranteed Ukraine's territorial integrity and that history would "put everything in its place". The remarks were carried by the Interfax news agency.
I am convinced that sooner or later Ukraine will lose the western lands – what belonged to Poland, what belonged to Hungary, what belonged to Romania – sooner or later, not tomorrow, perhaps the day after, in a year, two, 10, 15, but historically everything will fall into place. There was only one guarantor of Ukraine's territorial integrity – Russia.
Poland's Foreign Ministry responds
On Monday, July 27, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement rejecting the claims in categorical terms. Spokesman Maciej Wewiór described Putin's words as a cynical attempt to stir up antagonisms among allies. The ministry called the suggestions a "primitive attempt at disinformation" and a permanent feature of Russia's information war.
We unequivocally reject the false speculations of V. Putin regarding the alleged partition of Ukraine and Poland's participation in it – it is a cynical attempt to provoke antagonisms among allies.
- Putin tells navy servicemen Ukraine will lose its western territories.
- Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a statement rejecting the claims as disinformation.
The statement reiterated that Poland has never advanced, does not, and will never advance territorial claims against Ukraine. It underscored Warsaw's full recognition of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders, invoking the bilateral 2003 Treaty on the state border between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
A deliberate campaign
The ministry's communiqué stressed that Moscow's repeated claims about an alleged annexation of western Ukraine are a constant element of the information war, intended to set European nations against each other and to divert attention from Russia's own military aggression. The statement concluded with a call for the Russian authorities to stop making territorial claims against their neighbours.
The suggestions from Moscow about alleged plans to annex western Ukraine, including by Poland, are a primitive attempt at disinformation and a permanent element of the information war. The aim of these actions is clear: an attempt to set European nations against each other and to divert international attention from the brutal, illegal military aggression carried out by the Russian Federation.
Prior warnings
The latest rhetorical salvo follows repeated warnings by senior Polish officials. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz had earlier cautioned that Russia was capable of provocations, including drone incursions, and that vigilance was essential. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has also pointed to Moscow's pattern of disinformation aimed at NATO members.
