Radosław Sikorski

Date of birth: 23.02.1963

Radosław Tomasz Sikorski - Polish politician, political scientist, and journalist. Since 2005, a member of the Sejm (until 2007 - from the Law and Justice party, after 2007 - from the Civic Platform). Minister of Defense of Poland (2005-2007), Foreign Minister of Poland in the governments of Donald Tusk (2007-2014, since 2023). In 2014-2015 he was Marshal of the Sejm of Poland.

Place of birth. Education. Radosław Sikorski was born in Bydgoszcz, where he already led the school committee of the 'Solidarity' movement in the higher classes of school. In June 1981, he traveled to the United Kingdom to learn English. After the establishment of the dictatorship of General Wojciech Jaruzelski in Poland in December 1981, Sikorski received political asylum in the UK. In 1982, he began his studies at Pembroke College, University of Oxford, where he completed the PPE program (Politics, Philosophy, Economics). In Oxford, Sikorski was president of the Polish Students' Society. In 1987, he received British citizenship, which he renounced in 2006.

In 1999, he completed the Advanced Defense Course at the Faculty of National Security of the National Defense Academy of Poland.

All related materials

• The Polish Foreign Minister urged the US to approve support for Ukraine: A victory for Putin would be a disasterNews
• Borrell spoke with the Polish Foreign Minister. Determined: Ukraine needs long-range missilesNews
• The Polish Foreign Minister: Ukraine must receive missiles to destroy targets within RussiaNews

Career. After completing his studies, Sikorski worked as a correspondent from 1986 to 1990 for publications such as The Spectator, The Observer, Sunday Telegraph, National Review in war zones - Afghanistan, Angola. He received the World Press Photo Award for a photo of a family who died in bombing raids by the Afghan Air Force.

In August 1989, Sikorski returned home after the fall of the socialist regime. From 1988 to 1992, he was an investment advisor to Rupert Murdoch in Poland, and from 1990 to 1991 he was also a correspondent for The Sunday Telegraph in Warsaw.

In 1992, he served as Deputy Minister of Defense of Poland and was responsible for Poland's integration into NATO.

From 1998 to 2001, he served as Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland and was responsible for policy in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

In 2002, Sikorski moved to the USA, where he became the executive director of the New Atlantic Initiative and editor of the analysis publication European Outlook.

In 2005, he was elected to the Polish Senate for the city of Bydgoszcz and accepted the offer to lead the Ministry of Defense in the governments of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz and Jarosław Kaczyński. In February 2007, he resigned as Minister of Defense following a conflict with the head of the Military Counterintelligence Service.

In 2007, he was elected to the lower house of the Sejm and was invited by Prime Minister Donald Tusk to take the position of Foreign Minister. In 2008, he became a member of the board of the ruling party Civic Platform in Poland.

Since November 16, 2007, he has been the Foreign Minister in Donald Tusk's government.

On March 27, 2010, he received 31.5% of the votes in the Civic Platform primaries and lost to the Marshal of the Sejm Bronisław Komorowski.

On December 14, 2013, he was again elected Deputy Chairman of the Civic Platform.

On September 22, 2014, he resigned as Foreign Minister.

On September 24, 2014, with 233 votes (143 against, 62 abstentions), he was elected Marshal of the Sejm of Poland, replacing Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz.

On June 9, 2015, he resigned as Marshal of the Sejm.

In July 2015, he officially announced the end of his parliamentary activity.

In February 2016, he resigned as Deputy Chairman of the Civic Platform.

Since 2019, he has been a member of the European Parliament.

Since December 13, 2023, he is the Foreign Minister of Poland in Donald Tusk's government.

Views. He holds a hard stance towards the foreign policy of Vladimir Putin's regime. He referred to the 'Nord Stream' gas pipeline project between Germany and Russia as the new Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. He is one of the active advocates for Ukraine's Eurointegration.

In 2008, he signed an agreement to create an American missile defense system in Poland. Under this agreement, the US placed Patriot missiles in Poland and gained access to military bases in the country. In 2009, he was seen as a potential candidate for the position of NATO Secretary General.

Family. Radosław Sikorski is married to American journalist Anne Applebaum. She is one of the editors of The Economist and a member of the editorial board of The Washington Post. For her book 'Gulag: A History' (2003), which describes the everyday life of inmates in Stalinist camps, she received the Pulitzer Prize. Radosław Sikorski and Anne Applebaum have two sons - Alexander and Tadeusz.

22.12.2023