Polish President: 'Russia Violated International Law Many Times'

Russia has violated international law many times over the last couple of years with its actions in Ukraine, Georgia, Syria, and more, and Polish President Andrzej Duda said that it would be hard for people in his country not to be concerned about the threat posed by the much-larger country.

"As far as Ukraine is concerned, I have no doubt that international law was violated decisively [by Moscow], Duda told Lally Weymouth, a senior associate editor for The Washington Post, in an interview held in Warsaw. "The territorial integrity of the country was infringed. It's hard not to be worried by this situation."

And when asked if Russia poses a threat to Poland, Duda replied that the question should be viewed from the perspective of the "broader international context" and not only from the Polish perspective, as Russia's actions arouse "obvious uncertainty.."

Duda said he believes NATO should demonstrate that it will respond to the situation, and called on the alliance to "strengthen its defensive potential in this part of Europe to such a degree as to make it absolutely clear that it does not pay off to launch an attack against any member state. Only the increased presence of NATO in Central and Eastern Europe can ensure real deterrence."

That means involvement by the United States as well, as "the biggest and strongest member of NATO," Duda said, telling Weymouth that he would "like to see a significantly increased presence of U.S. troops on our territory."

Duda, elected last May, is coming to Washington this week to attend the Nuclear Security Summit, and discussed several other key topics, including battles over Poland's constitutional court.

He told Weymouth that Poland considers the United States as a "big ally," and with his visit, he wants to be sure "that the cooperation between Poland and the United States is as good as possible.

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