Russia-Ukraine war could have been avoided but wealthy nations 'overslept': Polish PM

As the full-fledged Russia-led invasion of Ukraine has entered Day 25, the international community has been increasingly showing solidarity with the war-ravaged eastern European country. In the latest, Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki asserted that the wealthiest countries should join the plan because they 'overslept' the moment it was required to stop Vladimir Putin's aggression toward Kyiv.

"Today's Ukraine is being affected by fear, but it is also being marked by the courage of soldiers, who have been fighting, and by the hope of the entire nation for the rebirth of a sovereign state after the war. This hope must be based on a real foundation, namely, on a No. 2 Marshall Plan for Ukraine," the Polish Prime Minister stated. 

He stated that it was necessary to formulate a plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine, which should be co-financed by developed European countries. Further, Morawiecki underscored that he is determined to raise this issue at the next European Council slated to be held on March 24-25.

Russia-Ukraine war: Day 25

On the pretext of carrying out a 'special military operation' in Ukraine and the autonomous region of Donetsk, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an offensive. While reports of heavy shelling and explosions have jolted key cities of Ukraine, the Kremlin has continued to brush Putin's violent vision under the carpet.

Despite aiming missiles at residential complexes, hospitals, civilian set-ups and heavy casualties across Kyiv, the Kremlin has asserted that Moscow's primary objective was to put Ukrainian military infrastructure 'out of operation'.

While the West has imposed numerous sanctions on Russia, particularly on wealthy business leaders and associates of the Kremlin, referred to as Russian oligarchs, Ukrainian forces are putting forth fierce resistance on the orders of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On March 19, the Pentagon stated that though it stands in absolute support of Ukraine's resistance to Putin's 'unprovoked' war, it is compelled to refrain from engaging in hostilities in Ukraine, nor will it establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine. In notable reasoning, Austin said that if the United States engaged in combat, it would be required to take down Russian forces, which would mean two nuclear-powered nations are at war. He implied that such a scenario is not 'good for the region'.

Also, the United Nations has revealed that more than 3.25 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, with nearly two million residents crossing the border into Poland.