After informal 'coffees,' Minister Sikorski comes to breakfast

Radoslaw “Radek” Sikorski and the Monitor go back several years. As a prominent Polish politician with ties to Washington, he would appear at informal “coffees” I hosted with reporters to discuss European affairs – a topic that took on added urgency after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Now, Mr. Sikorski is again Poland’s foreign minister. Last week, he traveled here with the Polish president and prime minister for a meeting with President Joe Biden and congressional leaders, urging additional military aid to Ukraine. I grabbed that opportunity to organize a Monitor Breakfast on March 12, and he did not disappoint.

Educated at Oxford University, Mr. Sikorski has a pungent way of expressing himself. Back in 2019, when we first met, he spoke optimistically of the European Union post-Brexit: “The corpse seems pretty lively,” he said, the headline of our session.

At this week’s well-attended breakfast, Mr. Sikorski made news, and was widely quoted in major media – from The New York Times to Reuters to Bloomberg. For the Monitor's coverage of the breakfast,  please click here. 

Our YouTube video of the event also garnered attention – tens of thousands of views – no doubt aided by my friend Marek Walkuski of Polish Radio, who has a wide following on social media. 

The most watched part of the video, recorded by Monitor fellow Troy Aidan Sambajon, came at the 35:46 mark, when Mr. Sikorski said: “If Ukraine wins this war, which they can and should, they’ll have one of the strongest armies in Europe and they’ll be training us.”

I highly recommend watching the whole video. But I have to admit, Mr. Sikorski was holding back just a tad. When asked about the possibility of former President Donald Trump’s return to power, he demurred.

“Thank you for this invitation to interfere in the internal affairs of our biggest ally,” he said to laughter.

“But are you concerned?” I pressed. Mr. Trump opposes additional aid to Ukraine and has suggested Russia can do whatever it wants to any NATO member that doesn’t spend enough on defense.

“When I was a member of the European Parliament, I would have boldly entered that arena,” Mr. Sikorski said, alluding to all our free-wheeling coffees. “But as foreign minister, I’ll pass.”