Poland under constant air-raid sirens as Putin threatens to expand Ukraine war, top pol warns: We are next

Poland is under near-daily air-raid warnings due to Russian drone incursions, the nation’s deputy prime minister says — as he warned that Vladimir Putin appears hellbent on expanding the war in Ukraine.Radosław Sikorski, in New York for the UN General Assembly, described the war next door as an “existential” threat to NATO ally Poland.“Historically, every time Russia conquered Ukraine, we were next,” he told The Post.Sikorski also revealed that he would personally nominate President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize if the Trump secured a “fair and honorable peace” for Ukraine.But as to what that fair peace may look like, “that is for Ukraine to decide,” he said.He was speaking as Poland seeks a permanent US base in its territory, with up to 15,000 troops in the face of increased Russian aggression.Poland, a nation of 37 million people, has long had one of the highest levels of public support for the US of any ally.

Europeans had mostly negative views of their alliance with the US and did not want American troops based there, according to a Politico poll earlier this year.Poland was the exception: 24% of Poles surveyed viewed the US as a close ally, the survey found — more than double the rate for citizens of Germany, France or Italy.Sitting down with The Post at the Polish Mission in Midtown Manhattan, Sikorski acknowledged that the planned base comes as President Trump is seeking to “reduce the US presence on the ground” in Europe.“The eastern flank [of Europe] should be favored, because that’s where the threat is,” Sikorski said, adding that the US is “getting a good deal in Poland” with the new base.“We pay $15,000 per annum for every US soldier.We’ve offered to build this base for you, which means that it would be cheaper for you to keep the soldiers and to exercise them in Poland than it is in the United States,” said Sikorski, who still has the clipped English accent he picked up at the University of Oxford, where h...