Kremlin Aide Criticizes Polish Foreign Minister's "Ambitions" to Restore Poland's Greatness

Nikolay Patrushev, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has criticized Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski over what he described as plans to restore Poland's historical greatness, calling such ambitions "unhealthy," according to Russian state news agency TASS.

TASS reported that Patrushev made the remarks in comments about Sikorski, without providing further details on the specific policy proposals or statements by the Polish minister that prompted the criticism.

According to TASS, Patrushev also said he had previously been surprised by what he characterized as Sikorski's insufficient knowledge of history and of Russia, though the report did not elaborate on the basis for this earlier assessment or when it was made.

The report did not include any response or comment from Sikorski or Polish officials regarding Patrushev's remarks.

Patrushev, a longtime security official who previously headed Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and later served as secretary of Russia's Security Council, has in the past frequently criticized Western and NATO-aligned officials over their policies toward Russia. Poland, a NATO and European Union member bordering Russia's ally Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, has been among the most vocal European critics of Russian policy since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

TASS is a Russian state-owned news agency, and the report reflects statements attributed to a senior Russian official. No independent confirmation of Sikorski's specific remarks or plans referenced by Patrushev was available in the source material.