The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev reacted sharply to a statement by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski about the long-standing confrontation between Poland and Russia, News.bg reports.
Sikorski previously stated that Poland has been in conflict with Russia since before the creation of the United States. In a post on the MAX social network, Medvedev stated that this statement is only partially true, adding his own assessment of the historical outcome of these conflicts.
The Russian politician cited 1612, as well as the periods of the divisions of the Polish state in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, as examples of Poland's defeats. He also criticized Sikorski's historical knowledge regarding the Soviet Union's role in World War II.
Medvedev added personal attacks to his comments, saying that Sikorski had been a British citizen since 1987 and linking this to the way he allegedly studied history. These assessments are part of Medvedev's position and do not represent independently established facts about the Polish minister's qualifications.
The exchange of remarks also followed Sikorski's recent statement that in the event of a Russian attack, Poland and its allies could defeat Russia quickly. In his subsequent clarifications, he spoke of a potential conflict between Russia and NATO, not an independent war between Poland and Russia.
The statements are part of another exchange of sharp comments between Warsaw and Moscow amid ongoing tensions over the war in Ukraine and the security of NATO's eastern flank.