4 marca 2025 r. Prezydent RP Andrzej Duda wygłosił przemówienie przed Zgromadzeniem Ogólnym ONZ.

Tekst wystąpienia dostępny jest poniżej.

Distinguished Mr. President,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is my last speech before the United Nations General Assembly as President of the Republic of Poland. And I wish to take this opportunity and share with you my reflections after almost a decade of service to my Homeland – Poland – a founding member state of the UN. 

I recall my previous interventions, the main message of which was always the primacy of international law over naked force. “Peace through law” was the slogan that accompanied me during my speeches before the UN General Assembly and at the UN Security Council during our non-permanent membership. Every time I left Poland to travel to the United Nations Headquarters, I kept in mind that this organization should care for and guarantee respect for the law in order to maintain peace and security across the world.  

Unfortunately, the experiences gathered in recent years demonstrate how fragile both peace and security are. I followed a number of crises and conflicts which broke out far away from the borders of my Homeland – in the Middle East, in Africa or Asia. But I also saw a steadily growing threat in our closest neighborhood. I could see the resurging Russian imperialism which aimed to shatter all universal values: peace, respect for sovereignty and integrity of states. I vividly remember 2008 and the Russian aggression against independent Georgia. I also recall the message of the late President Lech Kaczyński from that time, who, when Russian tanks were heading for Tibilisi, said in front of the Georgian parliament “today Georgia, tomorrow Ukraine, the day after tomorrow the Baltic States, and later maybe it will be time for my country, Poland!”.

When those prophetic words came true in the following years, and when I was elected President of the Republic of Poland in 2015, I knew that the attack on Ukraine, which had been carried out by Russia since 2014, marked just the beginning of an effort to violently destroy the international order based on international law. And it was precisely the concern for maintaining the primacy of law; the concern for keeping security and peace that accompanied me during almost a decade of my presidency.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Regrettably, my assessments and predictions, especially the ones on the imperial policy of the Russian Federation and the security situation in Europe – materialized. Today, I look back with satisfaction, but also with relief, on all the initiatives to strengthen the security of Poland and Europe. If it was not for them, the Kremlin could have conquered Kyiv long ago, and get ready for further expansion towards Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga or Tallinn.  

And this is exactly why, since I came into office, the main priority of my policy has been to boost the security – of Poland and Europe, thanks to closer cooperation: both bilateral one  - with our key allies, as well as multilateral one - as part of regional collective security systems, and broader - the international system created by the United Nations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

When speaking about security and international cooperation, I am referring in particular to closer relations with the United States, our partners in the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union, as well as with the willing and like-minded member countries of the United Nations.

Poland's strategic relations with the USA, especially the military ones, have a long history, symbolized by the statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko at the US Military Academy West Point. And it is in the spirit of these long-standing, friendly relations that I have been trying to build an ever stronger alliance with our friends from across the Atlantic.

We have achieved a lot over the years – and many memories came flooding back with the inauguration of the American Aegis Ashore missile base in Redzikowo at the end of last year – an important symbol, but also another element of the American security umbrella over Europe.

Also recent talks with Donald Trump, who was re-elected as US President, offered an opportunity to summarize a decade of efforts to bolster the Polish-American alliance. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Right from the beginning of my presidency, I wanted Poland to be perceived not only as a recipient, but also as a provider of security. Therefore, during my two terms in office, I tried to ensure that Warsaw fulfilled its most important allied obligations, and truly shaped the security policy in Europe and across the world. 

In accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Charter, we actively advocate for regional arrangements to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security. For 25 years we have been a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, which has guaranteed peace in the transatlantic area for 75 years.

At the same time, we are active in the international collective security system – in the UN – where we are committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes.

Our activity in UN peacekeeping missions is an expression of this aspiration. Poland can boast a long tradition of participating in such activities. That is why I personally decided to deploy, once again, the Polish military contingent to Lebanon, as part of the UNIFIL operation. In addition, we are co-chairing the Peacebuilding Commission and actively participating in the 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review. Furthermore, we support the implementation of the UN Secretary-General's Pact for the Future and a New Agenda for Peace.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Central and Eastern Europe is well aware of the threat to sovereignty posed by the imperial policy of the Russian Federation. That is why I have been so committed to enhancing  our security policy. Over the past ten years, we have succeeded in intensifying defense cooperation within the Bucharest Nine format. Together with the countries in the region, we have prepared to counter the most challenging threats – Russian hybrid attacks on our borders, sabotage on land and at sea, and the worst-case scenario – the full-scale aggression against our neighbor Ukraine. We reacted, jointly and as one of the first, to the blatant and brutal violation of international law. From the first day of the war, we have been clear about who is the victim and who is the aggressor, and we have continuously supported Ukraine, which is defending itself against Russia's neocolonial ambitions.  

Led by concern for security and the urgently needed  development of our region, I initiated, in 2015, along with the then President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, the Three Seas Initiative, the goal of which is to improve the connectivity among thirteen countries of Central and Eastern Europe. A decade has passed since the launch of the 3SI, and I can see that we have achieved a great deal in terms of modernization of infrastructure connections between the North and South of Eastern Europe.

Currently, the Three Seas Initiative is one of the fastest growing regions in the world, with a projected GDP growth of 35% by 2030. It is a gigantic market inhabited by 120 million citizens ready to cooperate and do business together! I know that others also take note of this, because every year the interest in cooperation with the Initiative increases, as exemplified by the strategic partnerships with the USA and Japan, which recognize the investment potential in our part of Europe.

The 10th Three Seas Initiative Summit is approaching. It will take place on April the 28th and 29th in Warsaw. Let me use this opportunity and encourage everyone interested in cooperation to invest in our region and participate in the Summit.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am aware that I represent a state that has a huge advantage in relations with many other countries. What I`m alluding to is the fact that Poland has never imposed its views on anyone. What we did was taking care of and supporting respect for fundamental rights – the rights enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. We know perfectly well what it means to fight against a colonizer. Poland has never been a colonial state, and we are proud of that! 

This has allowed us to build lasting and friendly relationships, which I have tried to deepen by traveling and talking to leaders from the Arab world, Africa and Asia. During my visits, I strived to understand the perspective and political conditions of regions distant from Europe and to present our position, always based on mutual respect and partnership.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At a time when regional security formats do not always allow us to provide international stability, let us recall the reason why the United Nations Organization was established. Let us remind ourselves why we have worked together to develop international law in order to best guarantee peace and protect the sovereignty and integrity of states. Why is this law not respected by everyone today, including the permanent members of the UN Security Council? I can find one answer: insufficient power to safeguard international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am standing before you as a representative of Poland, a country with over one thousand years of history, painfully tested by this very history. Our experience includes the construction of a powerful state, one of the strongest in 17th-century Europe, as well as the bitter experience of gradual partitions carried out by our neighbors, which ended in the loss of independence. Followed by a constant independence struggle which lasted for more than 123 years and cost hundreds of thousands of lives, until we finally regained it in 1918.

Our independence lasted just 20 years and it was destroyed by two totalitarian regimes of the 20th century: Russian communism and German Nazism.    

I am invoking the history of Poland because I know that when it comes to the experience of fighting for independence, the sacrifice made in this struggle, the enormous material losses, I am talking about an experience that is universal. Wars are part of human history. But peace and the constant striving to build lasting foundations for its preservation are also part of it.

The last thirty years of Poland's history, since we successfully broke free from Russia's sphere of influence and were able to decide on our own economic policy, security, and alliances, has been a period of unprecedented economic development, improvement in the standard of living of citizens, social services, and development opportunities. From a backward, poor country with high unemployment rate, we transformed into a highly developed state, creating thousands of jobs in modern sectors of the economy. Today, we are the 21st largest economy in the world, and our ambition is to join the G20. All these successes were possible thanks to peace in Europe. Therefore, in  Poland, we sincerely believe that only peace can provide optimal conditions for development. And that is why all imperial ideologies that see conquest as a tool to improve the lives of their own citizens and strengthen the international position of the state, are alien to us.

Our success – I am referring to the countries of Europe – consisted in creating such a system on the Old Continent, in which war was hard to imagine because it did not benefit the aggressor. It was contradictory to development, the power of the state, the prosperity of its citizens. At the same time, I admit that this way of thinking has made many European leaders blind to the threat of Russia's imperial policy. I hope that the process of awakening from the geopolitical slumber, painful as it may be, will be swift and that Europe will take greater responsibility for its security in cooperation with proven allies. After all, there is no choice. Citizens understand this. Now it is time for the state leaders to follow suit.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I remember taking part in the UN Security Council High-Level Debate in 2018 and talking about the importance of law for maintaining peace. Today, in the third year of the war in Ukraine, a country neighboring Poland, I would repeat the words I spoke then: “International law remains the strongest tool for civilized nations to ensure a lasting peace”. However, today I would add that peace can only be defended if it is backed by a real force, capable of deterring a potential aggressor. On the other hand, if a war could not be prevented, restoring peace requires justice as well as force. This is because only a just peace can be lasting. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

War does not respect borders, human dignity, systems of values or confessions. It means death, destruction and contempt for other people. No continent was spared the experience of war. It threatens all our countries, even if the risk of a war breaking out in a given part of the world seems limited at the moment. Therefore, a wise and forward-looking policy requires support for actions fostering peace and not supporting the aggressor. It is in the best interest of all our countries. 

For the last few decades, Poland has pursued a foreign policy in which peaceful and partnership-based cooperation was the goal, and not just a means to achieve political or economic benefits.

Rest assured that Poland will not go off this course! Poland will continue all initiatives aimed at strengthening a just peace in the world.