Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Saturday slammed Western countries such as Germany for displaying “unyielding egoism” in the face of Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying “crushing sanctions” were needed.
“There is no time today for the kind of unyielding egoism that we see in certain Western countries, including here in Germany unfortunately,” Morawiecki said in Berlin ahead of a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“That is why I came here… to shake the conscience of Germany. So that they finally decide on sanctions that are actually crushing,” he told Polish reporters.
Morawiecki, who was set to meet with Scholz together with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, notably called for the closure of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline and said Russia must be cut off from the SWIFT banking system.
“All sanctions should be on table now,” Morawiecki said.
Germany has been reluctant to exclude Russia from SWIFT over fears Moscow could cut off key gas supplies.
And while Berlin said it would halt certification of a new pipeline bringing gas from Russia, known as Nord Stream 2, the existing direct link remains in operation and payments continue to flow.
Morawiecki also took issue with Germany’s decision to send helmets rather than weapons to Ukraine.
“Five thousand helmets? That must be some kind of joke. There needs to be real help… weapons,” he said, stressing that Ukraine is not just fighting for itself.
“They are also fighting for us. For our freedom, our sovereignty. So that we aren’t next in line,” he said.
“Russia wants to destroy our world as we know it. We have to act now. We have no time to lose.”
