Poland recognizes Ukraine’s independence within internationally established borders - MFA

That’s according to Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who made the statement via X following President Andrzej Duda’s remarks on Crimea, which he claimed would be hard to regain given its special significance for Russia.

"Poland recognizes the independence of Ukraine within its internationally established borders, which have been repeatedly confirmed by the Russian Federation: starting with the Treaty of November 19, 1990, the Budapest Memorandum of December 5, 1994, and the Border Treaty of January 28, 2003," Sikorski emphasized.

For his part, Paweł Kowal, head of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission, told RMF.FM that comments about "Russian Crimea" are nonsense spread by Russian propaganda, adding that Crimea "was Russian as much as Białystok."

"Stories about Russian Crimea are nonsense... Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine, enjoying regional autonomy, which few people are aware of, enshrined in the Ukrainian Constitution. It is autonomous within Ukraine, has a separate parliament and a separate government. Also, it is a historical homeland for Crimean Tatars," Koval emphasized.

He recalled a recent conversation with the leader of the Crimean Tatar people, Mustafa Dzhemilev, noting that there is a proposal from Ukraine to further expand Crimea’s autonomy.

As reported, Polish President Andrzej Duda said in an interview on February 2 that he "doesn't know" whether Ukraine would be able to regain Crimea from Russia. At the same time, he called the Crimean peninsula "special for historical reasons", since "most of the time it was under Russia’s control".

Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Zvarych in response stated that Crimea is and will remain Ukrainian, adding that the de-occupation of the peninsula is the task for Ukraine and the entire free world.