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| Polish General Stanislaw Koziej urges NATO to immediately give Russia an ultimatum |
In an interview with Polish web portal Onet last week, Koziej, who was Poland's head of national security between 2010 and 2015, said NATO must protect military equipment sent by Western countries to Ukraine. Currently, according to the general, Russian troops are trying to destroy Western weapons with long-range missiles launched from the Black Sea, or with the help of strategic aviation.
According to him, the fact Russia appears to be using a dual-purpose missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead gives NATO every reason to take steps to reduce the risk.
"We have all the arguments to take precautionary measures and to inform Russia that if it does not stop attacking our borders with long-range missiles, then from one day we will introduce anti-missile protection over Western Ukraine," Koziej said.
Russia has long called on the West to stop "pumping" Ukraine with guns. Moscow warns that it will only prolong the conflict and cause further problems. Moscow also made it clear that it would consider foreign military equipment on Ukrainian territory to be a legitimate target. According to Koziej, until now Russia has succeeded in "blackmailing" the West by threatening the potential use of nuclear weapons.
Therefore, he argued, NATO should be prepared to shoot down Russian missiles “at the right distance” from its borders. “In my opinion, this situation should eventually be reversed or at least balanced. It is impossible in a confrontation of two parties only one to frighten, put up barriers, conditions and red lines," said the former head of the Polish National Security Bureau.
On June 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is not threatening anyone with nuclear weapons, “but everyone should know what we have and what we will use if necessary to protect our sovereignty.” Commenting on the current situation in Ukraine from the perspective the military, Koziej said, “Nothing has been decided yet.” While Russia is “slowly pushing forward,” Western support remains a hope for Ukraine.
Ukraine has more and more modern military equipment from the West, and Russia has the opposite, because they also have to use outdated post-Soviet equipment, he said. Koziej did not rule out that Ukraine may suffer territorial losses. “But in terms of national unity, the strength of the Ukrainian nation, Ukraine's position in the world or its chances of joining the West, Ukraine has won this conflict.
Meanwhile, Russia, according to the general, is “losing the war” as its strategic possibilities will decrease, its position on the international stage will deteriorate and Russia's standard of living will drop significantly.
Since the launch of Russia's special military operations, Kiev has called on NATO and Western countries to impose a no-fly zone or provide Ukraine with the means to do so on its own, such as anti-air defense systems and warplanes.
This request, however, remains unfulfilled as the West claims such a move would put it in direct confrontation with Russia. Russia attacked the neighbor in late February, following Ukraine's failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreement, which it first signed in 2014, and Moscow's eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.
The protocol brokered by Germany and France was designed to give breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state. The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine formally declare itself a neutral nation that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists Russia's attack is completely unwarranted and denies claims it plans to retake the two republics by force.