RFE/RL interviews Lech Walesa on Russia, NATO, EU, and threats to democracy

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RFE/RL has posted online a report on its exclusive interview with former Solidarity labor union leader and former Polish President Lech Wales. In the interview, he discusses Russia’s aggressive moves, NATO, EU, and threats to democracy in his native Poland.

As Warsaw prepares to host the NATO summit, former Polish President Lech Walesa called on the military alliance to show determination in the face of a more aggressive Russia. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, the pro-democracy icon who led the battle against communism in Poland said Moscow could not afford a military conflict with the West. Walesa also suggested how the European Union could move forward following the Brexit vote. (Camera: Marek Hajduk. Producer: Stuart Greer)

This is what Lech Walesa said in a 2002 Voice of America interview:

“It is difficult to imagine what would have happened if it were not for the Voice of America and other sources with the help of which the true information squeezed through, which showed a different point of view, which said that we are not alone and that something is happening in the country — because our mass media did not do that.”

– Lech Wałęsa, 2002