Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has issued a stark warning, stating that the European Union faces a critical choice: unite to become a powerful global actor or accept being reduced to a mere playground for superpowers. This comes amid a weakening international order and Russia's ongoing aggressive war in Ukraine.
The Erosion of "Never Again" and a World on Edge
Sikorski revealed that his greatest fear is the collapse of the post-World War II international order, built on principles like sovereignty, free markets, and human rights. The foundational promise of "Never again"—meant to prevent a repeat of history's greatest tragedies—is losing its influence. He pointed to multiple global flashpoints with worldwide consequences:
- The threat of US military action in Venezuela.
- The brutal civil war in Sudan.
- Persistent instability in the Middle East.
- The ongoing war in Ukraine.
- Growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
This multitude of crises presents the West with its most significant challenge in decades, a situation exacerbated by a perceived sense of civilizational exhaustion that adversaries are keen to exploit.
Russia's War: A Sign of Weakness, Not Strength
Sikorski placed full responsibility for the war in Ukraine on Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. He noted that more than 1,350 days have passed since Russia's initial invasion, which was billed as a short operation. The human cost is staggering, with at least 1.5 million Ukrainian and Russian soldiers wounded or killed—a rate exceeding a thousand per day.
Despite facing mounting economic troubles, the Kremlin is directing nearly 40% of its national budget toward military spending. Its strategy includes targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure to break civilian morale and provocative violations of NATO airspace in countries like Estonia, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. Sikorski argues these actions reveal three key truths: Putin is not interested in peace, each aggression is a deliberate test of Western resilience, and these provocations signal Russia's growing weakness, not strength.
The war has backfired severely on Russia, leading to catastrophic losses in personnel, a severed economic relationship with Europe, the NATO accession of Finland and Sweden, and deepened dependence on authoritarian allies.
The EU's Imperative: Unity or Irrelevance
Even in its weakened state, Russia remains a serious threat. Sikorski frames the current geopolitical moment as a triad, with the United States and China locked in rivalry, and Russia striving to position itself as the third global pillar, directly at Europe's expense. The European Union's challenge is to translate its substantial economic weight into genuine global leadership and influence.
"The EU therefore faces a stark choice: either it becomes a community capable of action, or it accepts being reduced to a playground for superpowers," Sikorski stated, particularly in areas like data and trade. He asserts that only a united Europe can succeed, while a divided one will be paralyzed.
The path forward, according to the Polish minister, requires deeper EU cooperation on security, migration, technology, and foreign policy. This unity is essential to deter aggressors, maintain social cohesion, defend democratic values, and retain the respect of key allies like the United States. He highlighted the immense US-EU economic relationship, which accounts for roughly 44% of global GDP and supports millions of jobs, warning that questioning this bond lightly would be watched closely by revisionist regimes in Moscow.
Sikorski concluded with a powerful reminder: the existing world order, though imperfect, is the best tool to prevent global chaos. It must be defended and updated through debate, not war. If the West fails to unite, the solemn promise of "Never again" made by previous generations could be shattered, ushering in a chaotic future where brute force overrules democratic values and human rights.
