The minister was speaking at an event organized by Italy and Ukraine on the de-mining of Ukraine. During a brief speech, he highlighted the gigantic scale of the problem and the broader implications of mined Ukrainian territory, including for food security.

On the first day of his visit to New York 🇺🇸, FM @sikorskiradek will speak at @UN at an event on humanitarian demining in Ukraine and its consequences for food security.

🎬 Live stream ⬇️ https://t.co/yAAu5EflUo

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) February 22, 2024

“Approximately 175,000 square kilometers have been contaminated by landmines, an area roughly equal to the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia, and Austria combined,” Sikorski said.

💬 Today, vast swathes of Ukraine have become a literal minefield. That’s why demining cannot be handled by Kyiv alone. It is our collective responsibility to help.

In 2022, 🇵🇱 police officers neutralised some 2000 explosives in 🇺🇦.

| FM @sikorskiradek at @UN

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) February 22, 2024

“The mines left by the Russians pose a deadly threat to civilians and humanitarian operations. Ukraine is one of the world’s leading grain suppliers. But the mine blockades on the sea lanes around the country are an obstacle to the export of agricultural goods. And this in turn has negative consequences for global markets and disrupts logistics and supply chains,” he explained, addressing a Moscow representative who was absent from the debate and holding Russia responsible for the entire problem.

“I would like to inform him (the Russian representative) that these mines were not laid in Ukraine by Martians or Nazis, but by the army of the Russian Federation. Every person who has been and will be killed by these mines is a victim of the actions of this state,” he stressed.

Sikorski also pointed to the Polish government’s actions on the issue – including sending nearly a hundred police officers to help clear some 2,000 mines – and called on other countries to financially support the World Food Program’s project to demine farmland.

“Mine clearance activities are crucial to ensure conditions for peace and security. Which, in turn, is essential for the reconstruction of Ukraine and its future,” he stated.