>>> President Biden set to speak
there in just a few moments from
now at the royal castle here in
Warsaw, Poland.
It’s the same place he gave that
impassioned plea last year
shortly after Russia invaded
Ukraine.
>> Ukraine will never be a
victory for Russia for these
people refuse to live in a world
of hopelessness and darkness.
We will have a different future,
a brighter future, rooted in DEM
Tracy and principle, hope and
light, decency, dignity, freedom
and possibilities.
>> Joining us now is the mayor
of Warsaw who is — what a
moment you’ve been living
through.
You are the mayor of Warsaw,
you’ve now had a presidential
visit from the U.S. Twice in
less than a year.
He didn’t go to Berlin, didn’t
go to London, didn’t go to
Paris.
What does it mean that he’s here
in Warsaw to give this speech?
>> It’s incredible, of course,
the times are very difficult but
it’s important that the
president of the United States
is in Poland again because it
means that we are safe because
with him he brings those
guarantees of security.
And, of course, it is immensely
important for us that he was in
Kyiv, that he showed so much
courage and that the united
States of America is ready to
help.
>> And we heard from president
Putin this morning giving that
lengthy speech.
Overall it seemed to signal that
he doesn’t believe this war in
Ukraine is anywhere close to
being over.
What was your take away?
>> Well, unfortunately it seems
that Putin wants to escalate,
that he doesn’t have a plan B.
He miscalculated on so many
different fronts.
He thought that Ukrainians will
not defend their country, he
thought that we could be divided
and he just was wrong on both of
these counts.
>> One thing has been about what
the west is sending to Ukraine,
that was a major theme of his
speech today, one point has been
the F-16s.
The U.S. Is saying they are not
going to train Ukrainian fighter
pilots on the f-16,yet.
Do you think that’s a mistake?
Do you think they should do so
in case they decide to send
them?
>> It’s complicated but the most
important thing is every taboo
has been broken.
I remember these conversations a
year ago, many people were
saying we shouldn’t be sending
heavy weapons, we shouldn’t be
tending tanks and it turned out
that America and other European
allies decided to actually help
Ukraine because Ukrainians are
fighting for our security so we
need to help them as much as we
can.
>> When you say our security,
this war is on your doorstep.
What does that feel like?
>> Well, I mean, Poland is safe,
I mean, you see Warsaw just
behind me, nothing changes.
Of course, today everything is
blocked because of the
presidential visit, but life
goes on.
Thanks to president Biden and
the American administration we
feel safe, thanks to ourselves
as well, but thanks to the
Ukrainians who are fighting for
the stability of the
transatlantic alliance, fighting
for our values.
I mean, we talk about democracy,
the rule of law all the time.
These guys are actually giving
their lives for those values.
>> What you seem to be saying is
that instead of debating over
sending certain weaponry, longer
range missiles, planes to
Ukraine they should go ahead and
send it?
>> We should be helping Ukraine
as much as we can.
Of course the Americans are
doing it, pols are doing it, but
many of our friends in western
Europe were dragging our feet.
We better keep the pressure up.
We need to help those guys N
Warsaw we are helping refugees
and women and children.
Many Ukrainians tell us we can
fight because you are doing your
best.
You are informing, we’re helping
refugees, other people are
sending weapons because we all
have a dog in this fight because
every dictator, every crazy
dictator in the world is
watching, whether the west can
be united, whether we can be
strong and whether we can
deliver.
>> We are a year into this war
and Poland saw the most refugees
out of anyone, a lot of them
came through Poland, went to
other places but many still live
here, over a million in Poland,
hundreds of thousands still live
in your city.
What is the impact of that a
year in?
>> It has been really amazing
this show of solidarity.
You don’t see any people on the
street, you don’t see any camps
for refugees because they are
with us, with friends, with
family, so on and so forth.
I’m absolutely certain that we
will get enriched by all of
that.
There is a silver lining on that
cloud because Warsaw was one of
the most diverse cities in
between the wars and of course
after the second World War it
was changed.
Now we welcome these Ukrainians
here for a while, maybe for
longer, and we feel enriched.
>> One thing we’ve seen Polish
president Duda call for, is a
bigger American presence a more
permanent presence here.
Are there indications you think
that is actually going to
happen?
>> We hope so, there is American
presence on the ground and of
course president Biden said
every inch of nato territory
will be defended.
It first of all makes us feel
more secure but also sends a
very strong signal to the
Russians that they shouldn’t
move any further and that, by
the way, they should start
moving out of Ukraine because
the west will be together, will
be strong, next batch of
sanctions are being prepared.
So that’s exactly the signal
that we should be sending and
those are the words that I’m
waiting for that president Biden
will deliver in a few hours.
>> How long do you think it
could go on for?
>> It’s very, very difficult to
say, but that’s why we need to
help the Ukrainians because they
are bleeding every day and, as
I’ve said, you know, this is
also our war.
Some people think this is a war
somewhere in the east, but this
is a war for our values, for the
stability of our institutions,
for our community.
As I’ve said, everyone is
watching, whether we can
deliver, whether we can be
strong.
People thought the west will
keep on deliberating and so on
and so forth.
We showed that we can do it
together and we should simply
continue doing it.
>> Mayor, thank you so much for
joining us here.
Thank you for hosting us in your
city.
>> Pleasure.
Come to Warsaw.
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