On Oct. 23, 2023, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski faced a harsh rebuke from Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zacharowa, prompting an immediate response from Warsaw.
Sikorski reacts to Zacharowa’s assault: “New bottom”
Following Russian spokeswoman Maria Zacharowa’s claim that Poland’s minister of foreign affairs was “Madman Sikorski,” the Polish Foreign Ministry swiftly issued a response. On the X platform, the ministry’s spokesperson addressed Zacharowa directly, questioning whether this was truly a new bottom for her and warning that such invective merely revealed a loss of self‑control.
Zacharowa’s “Madman Sikorski” comment
During an exchange with Hungary’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski said he hoped a Ukrainian officer of Hungarian origin could sabotage the “Friendship” oil pipeline that supplies oil to Hungary and Slovakia. In a statement to a Russian news agency, Zacharowa queried, “What other civilian infrastructure, according to Madman Sikorski, should be destroyed?” – a rhetorical question that underscored the tension between the two sides.
European leaders outline defence plan in Brussels
On Tuesday, 23 October, Brussels hosted a summit of EU state leaders who announced a comprehensive defence plan aimed at countering hybrid threats from Russia in case of war. Central to the proposal is a drone‑fence expected to reach preliminary operational readiness by the end of 2024 and full functionality by 2027. The leaders declared Russia’s aggression in Ukraine a “knock‑on existential threat” to European security and called for accelerated development of modern military and technological capabilities in close cooperation with NATO. Funding is to come from national budgets or a €150 billion SAFE loan fund, though some member states push for irreversible EU budget grants.
