Duda: Russia waging colonial war and wants to make Ukrainians slaves

Polish President Andrzej Duda said this during the opening of the first Peace Summit, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

He said that Russia's unprovoked and illegal aggression against Ukraine has been going on for 28 months, that is, crimes against humanity committed by the Russian regime throughout Ukraine have been going on for two-and-a-half years.

 "This war is not only cruel and full of crimes, it is imperialist and colonial in nature. The Kremlin is trying to make Ukrainians and their children slaves, use Ukrainian resources, destroy their culture and deprive Ukraine of its right to freely choose its own path of development and security guarantees," Duda said.

The Polish leader noted that Russia is often called the "prison of nations." "Russia remains the largest colonial empire in the world, which - unlike European states - has never gone through the process of decolonization and has never been able to deal with the demons of its past," the Polish president said.

Duda added that the international community must clearly say "that there is no more place for colonialism in the world."

At the same time, he noted that Russia is not acting alone - it relies on the Lukashenko regime in its criminal actions: "He not only allowed the Russian army to attack from his territory, but also initiated a series of hybrid attacks against Poland and the Baltic states, which have been going on for more than three years."

Duda said that Ukraine has every right to defend its sovereignty and independence in accordance with international law, and the world community is obliged to provide Kyiv with the necessary support.

According to Duda, the peace treaty that will be worked out should ensure Ukraine's sovereignty and its right to independent foreign and domestic policy.

According to the Polish leader, the road to peace will be long. At the same time, he emphasized the need to "focus on less controversial ,issues, the progress of which will allow "further pressure on the Kremlin to withdraw its troops from Ukraine", and the success of this initiative depends on the UN's broad representation in it.

Photo: KEYSTONE/EDA/POOL//Urs Flueeler