Poland: Demonstration in Front of the US Embassy in Support of Ukraine
by sdmn
On Monday, March 3, more than five hundred people gathered in front of the US Embassy in Warsaw (Poland) to express their solidarity with Ukraine in the face of recent events and the US president’s response to the situation in that country.
“We want to say out loud something that we all think is obvious, but that we must repeat, Russia is a terrorist state! Putin is a war criminal! For eleven years, since this war began, we have been coming to this Embassy to thank you (the US) for your support. Today, for the first time since the beginning of the Russian aggression, we had to organize not only a demonstration of gratitude, but also a protest,” said Natalia Panchenko, leader of the citizen initiative Euromaidan-Warsaw.
“Russia and Putin alone are responsible for unleashing this war. We are also here to remind the guarantors of security, who signed a memorandum in Budapest in 1994 and pledged to protect Ukraine, that they must keep their promises,” Panchenko added.
The demonstrators carried banners with the slogans “Budapest 1994: Pacta sunt servanda,” “Russia is a terrorist state,” “Glory to the heroes,” “We are with Ukraine,” as well as images of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “It must be said clearly and unequivocally: the actions of the Donald Trump Administration undermine American leadership in the world and destroy trust between allies,” said Bogumił Kolmasiak of Akcja Democracja (Action for Democracy). ‘The United States can today stand alongside the community of nations that respect human rights and democracy. It can also choose another path, which would be a disaster not only for them, but for the whole world. We believe that a country that has been built on opposition to tyranny, and love of freedom will make the only right decision.”
At the protest, former political prisoner Krzysztof Siemieński read a letter from the leaders of the ‘Solidarity’ Movement and former political prisoners. The letter recalled the actions of former US presidents who fought for democratic values during the First and Second World Wars, together with their allies in Europe. It also emphasized the importance of the Budapest Memorandum and the need for the United States to unconditionally support Ukraine in defending its sovereignty. The letter was signed by Lech Wałęsa and Bronisław Komorowski, among others.
The event was organized by the citizens’ initiative Euromaidan-Warszawa, the Committee for the Defense of Democracy (Komitet Obrony Demokracji) and Action for Democracy (Akcja Demokracja). This information has been sent to Sol de Medianoche by Victoria Pogrebniak, press officer for the Euromaidan-Warszawa citizens’ initiative.
