Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am grateful to be invited, and I am really moved by being here because Ronald Reagan has a very special place in the hearts of Poles who love freedom.

Ronald Reagan remains one of the most consequential presidents in U.S. history. But for many people in Poland, as I have already said, especially those who remember communist oppression – he is more than a figure from the past.

He is remembered as somebody who understood the nature of communism, who called it by its name, and who gave hope to those living behind the Iron Curtain.

He was not flawless. No president is. No politician is. His administration made mistakes. American economy did not recover as quickly as he had hoped. Political polarization in Washington was already high and continued to grow. Bickering within the administration was regularly reported by the press.

And yet, the people stood by him. In 1984, they delivered him one of the greatest landslide victories in American history.

Why?

Some say it was his personal charm. Even those who disagreed with him often liked him. Although it is true, it does not fully explain Reagan’s appeal. Sources of his popularity ran much deeper.

Ronald Reagan knew something politicians tend to forget, namely that we, the people, do not want merely to be managed. We crave meaning. We demand to know what our country stands for. We want leaders with their own ideas of freedom, dignity, responsibility, justice, and patriotism.

There are many iconic Reagan’s speeches, but one of the most famous was delivered on March 8, 1983, before the National Association of Evangelicals. In that speech, President Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as an “evil empire.”

He was heavily criticized for it. Many said the phrase was inflammatory. They warned such language would make future negotiations with the Soviets impossible. Reagan proved them wrong.

Roughly two years later, when he believed the time was right, he met Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva to discuss nuclear arms reductions. The man accused of being driven by ideology once again proved to be pragmatic.

The “evil empire” speech mattered because it reintroduced morality into foreign policy. Reagan reminded the world that there is a difference between good and evil, freedom and tyranny, truth and lies. He believed that the United States should be – and could be – a force for good.

Was America always that force? No. Not even under Reagan. But this president had a unique ability to persuade much of the world that America still aspired to be better.

He was convincing not because he used to be an actor. He was convincing because he meant what he said. He preached American exceptionalism, but he saw individual freedom as a universal human right. In communist Poland we believed him – and we believed in him.

That is why Reagan is still relevant today, at a time when ideals are too often cast as relative, and when so many people seek moral guidance.

He reminded us that conservatism at its best is not accompanied by anger, resentment, or isolationism. When rooted in confidence, moral clarity and courage – it brings hope, openness, and willingness to engage with the world.

Under his administration, billions of dollars were invested in modernizing the American military. But the president himself was one of the most effective weapons America had against communism.

He understood that a free nation must be strong, but also that great power without higher purpose was ineffective.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Poland is now a proud, democratic, secure and increasingly prosperous nation, a brand-new member of G-20 – a club of the biggest economies in the world.

Poland’s success was made possible by the Solidarity movement with its iconic leader, Lech Wałęsa, supported by remarkable figures such as Pope John Paul II and indeed Ronald Reagan.

Across the street from the US Embassy in central Warsaw stands a bronze statue of President Reagan. I know he would be proud to see the legacy of his fight against “the evil empire” in the shape of modern Poland and modern Warsaw, which has changed beyond recognition since his times.

Visit Poland and see for yourselves. We are an icon of Ronnie’s victory.

Thank you very much.

 

 

Link to the video of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski's speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library