Radosław Sikorski facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Radosław Sikorski
Sikorski in 2024
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 December 2023
Prime Minister	Donald Tusk
Preceded by	Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk
In office 16 November 2007 – 22 September 2014
Prime Minister	Donald Tusk
Preceded by	Anna Fotyga
Succeeded by	Grzegorz Schetyna
Member of the European Parliament for Poland
In office 2 July 2019 – 12 December 2023
Parliamentary group	EPP
Marshal of the Sejm
In office 24 September 2014 – 23 June 2015
Preceded by	Ewa Kopacz
Succeeded by	Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska
Minister of National Defence
In office 31 October 2005 – 7 February 2007
Prime Minister	Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz Jarosław Kaczyński
Preceded by	Jerzy Szmajdziński
Succeeded by	Aleksander Szczygło
Member of the Sejm
In office 5 November 2007 – 12 November 2015
Parliamentary group	PO
Constituency	Bydgoszcz
Member of the Senate
In office 20 October 2005 – 5 November 2007
Parliamentary group	PiS
Constituency	Bydgoszcz
Personal details
Born	Radosław Tomasz Sikorski (1963-02-23) 23 February 1963 (age 62) Bydgoszcz, Poland
Citizenship	Polish United Kingdom (1987–2006)
Political party	Civic Platform (since 2007) Civic Coalition (since 2018)
Other political affiliations	Law and Justice (2005–2007)
Spouse	Anne Applebaum ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	2
Education	Pembroke College, Oxford (BA)
Signature

Radosław Tomasz Sikorski (born February 23, 1963), also known as Radek Sikorski, is a well-known Polish politician and journalist. He currently serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Poland. He has held this important role since 2023, and also served in the same position from 2007 to 2014.

Before his current role, he was a Member of the European Parliament from 2019 to 2023. He also served as the Marshal of the Sejm (like the speaker of Poland's parliament) from 2014 to 2015. Sikorski has held several other government positions, including Deputy Minister of National Defence and Minister of National Defence. He studied at Pembroke College, Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Early Life and Education

Radosław Sikorski was born in Bydgoszcz, Poland. When he was in high school, he led a student strike committee in March 1981. In June 1981, he went to the United Kingdom to study English.

After a strict law called "martial law" was put in place in Poland in December 1981, he was given a safe place to live in Britain in 1982. He then studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Pembroke College, Oxford, part of the University of Oxford.

While at Oxford, Sikorski was active in student groups. He was head of a debating society committee and president of the Oxford University Polish Society. He also joined the Bullingdon Club, a dining society. He wrote articles for Polish and British magazines. He finished his studies in 1986. In 1987, Sikorski became a British citizen, but he gave it up in 2006 when he became Poland's Minister of Defence.

Journalism Career (1985–1992)

In the mid-1980s, Sikorski worked as a freelance journalist. He wrote for magazines like The Spectator and The Observer. He also wrote for an Indian newspaper. In 1986, he traveled to Afghanistan to report on the war there. He wanted to write about the fight against the Soviet Union.

As a war correspondent, he was the first to report and show photos of US Stinger missiles being used. These missiles were a big turning point in the war. In 1987, he made a 100-day journey to the ancient city of Herat, which was under attack. He won an award from World Press Photo in 1988 for his work.

His adventures were shown in a documentary called "Polish Mujahideen: Radosław Sikorski." He also wrote a book about his journey called Dust of the Saints: A Journey to Herat in Time of War. In 1989, he became a chief foreign correspondent for an American magazine. He reported from Afghanistan and Angola. He was praised for an article he wrote in 1989 that predicted the fall of Communism.

From 1990 to 1991, he worked as a correspondent in Warsaw. He also hosted a TV show where he interviewed important leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Lech Wałęsa.

Early Government Roles (1992–2002)

Sikorski returned to Poland in August 1989. He briefly served as Deputy Defence Minister in 1992. In this role, he helped Poland start its journey to join NATO. From 1998 to 2001, Sikorski was a deputy minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He was in charge of services for Poles living abroad. He also helped sign agreements to remove visa requirements with many countries. He worked to make sure the term "Polish concentration camps" was not used in Western media, as it was misleading. He also started a program for cheaper visas for Poland's eastern neighbors.

Policy Work in the US (2002–2005)

From 2002 to 2005, Sikorski worked as a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. This is a "think tank," which is a group that does research and offers ideas on public policy. He organized international meetings, including one about the impact of former US President Ronald Reagan on Europe.

Minister of National Defence (2005–2007)

In 2005, Sikorski came back to Poland and was elected as a senator. He became the Minister of National Defence on October 31, 2005. During his time in this role, he moved old military files to a special remembrance institute. He also made public maps from the Warsaw Pact era, which showed Soviet plans for war.

He resigned on February 5, 2007. This was just before Poland joined the war in Afghanistan. He resigned because he disagreed with the actions of the chief of military intelligence. Even though he was not a member of the Law and Justice party, he finished his term in their Senate group. In 2007, he was elected to the Lower House of Parliament (Sejm).

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007–2014)

Sikorski with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009

On November 16, 2007, he became the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Donald Tusk's government. He joined Tusk's Civic Platform party. As Foreign Minister, Sikorski worked to improve relations with Russia. He also helped end Russia's ban on Polish farm products. He said that Russia could even join NATO if it met certain conditions, like being a democratic state.

He also worked to strengthen Poland's relationships with Germany and France. Cooperation between Poland, Germany, and France, known as the Weimar Triangle, was very strong during his time. His ministry grew to have 4,500 employees and 100 offices in other countries. He introduced many reforms, like better security for diplomats and electronic document management.

In 2008, Sikorski finished a long discussion with the U.S. about placing a missile defense base in Poland. He made sure Poland would have control over the base staff. He also asked the U.S. to improve Poland's air defenses as part of the deal. The agreement was signed with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. This happened less than two weeks after a war broke out between Russia and Georgia.

Radosław Sikorski with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz in 2014

In 2014, Sikorski was involved in the events of the Ukraine Euromaidan protests. On February 21, he signed an agreement with Ukrainian leaders and the Foreign Ministers of Russia, France, and Germany. This agreement aimed to bring peaceful changes to Ukraine.

Marshal of the Sejm (2014–2015)

On September 24, 2014, Sikorski was chosen as the Marshal of the Sejm. This role is similar to the speaker of a parliament. As Marshal, Sikorski made several changes. He introduced new rules for parliamentary travel and made voting procedures simpler. He also approved the building of a new place for parliamentary committees. He officially resigned on June 23, 2015.

Policy Work in the US (2015–2018)

On November 6, 2015, Sikorski was named a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's Center for European Studies. He also works with the Brzezinski Institute on Geostrategy. In February 2016, Sikorski was elected chairman of the Board of the Bydgoszcz Industrial-Technological Park. He has given his salary from this role to a local care and education charity.

European Parliament (2019–2023)

Sikorski at the European Parliament in 2019

In the 2019 European Parliament election, Sikorski was elected as a MEP for the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region. He was chosen to lead the European Parliament's group that works on relations with the United States of America.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2023–Present)

Sikorski with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2023

Sikorski was again appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs on December 13, 2023. This happened after the 2023 Polish parliamentary election. One of his first visits was to Kyiv, Ukraine. There, he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian leaders. He also said that Western countries should make more weapons and not stop military production while the Russian invasion of Ukraine is happening.

In January 2024, he spoke with the Israeli Foreign Minister. He expressed Poland's strong support for Israel during the Israel–Hamas war.

Sikorski with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the 60th Munich Security Conference in 2024

On March 13, 2024, Sikorski announced that 50 ambassadors who had been appointed by the previous government would be called back. In April 2024, the Polish government offered to help Ukrainian men living in Poland return to Ukraine to join the military. Sikorski later said this would be a difficult decision and Ukraine should lead on it.

In July 2024, Sikorski stated that Poland plans to spend 5% of its country's total income (GDP) on defense by 2025. This would be the highest amount in NATO. In November 2024, Sikorski confirmed he would run in the presidential primary election for his party. He lost to Rafał Trzaskowski, the Mayor of Warsaw.

Other Activities

• Sir Bani Yas Forum, Member of the advisory board (since 2017)
• Bilderberg Group, Member of the Steering Committee
• Munich Security Conference, Member of the Advisory Council

Books Published

• Moscow's Afghan War: Soviet Motives and Western Interests, 1987
• Dust of the Saints, 1989
• The Polish House: An Intimate History of Poland, 1998
• Strefa Zdekomunizowana [Decommunized Zone], 2007
• Polska może być lepsza [Poland Could Be Better], 2018
• W okopie, w redakcji, w ministerstwie [In Trenches, in Editorial Offices, in Ministries], 2022
• Polska. Stan Państwa [Poland. The State of the State], 2022

Honors and Awards

Sikorski has received many honors and awards from different countries and organizations:

Foreign Orders and Decorations

• Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Germany, 2016
• Member 1st Class of the Order of Merit (No. 407), Ukraine, 2007
• Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, France, 2012
• Lithuanian Millennium Star, Lithuania, 2008
• Honorary Companion with Breast Star of the National Order of Merit, Malta, 2009
• Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star, Sweden, 2011
• Member 3rd class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, Ukraine, 2011
• Commander of the Order of Saint-Charles, Monaco, 2012
• Grand Officer of the Order of the Three Stars, Latvia, 2013
• Presidential Order of Excellence, Georgia, 2013
• Vakhtang Gorgasali Order, 1st class, Georgia
• Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown, Belgium, 2013
• Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit, Hungary, 2014
• Grand Commander of the Order of Honour, Greece, 2014
• Recipient of the Order of Honour, Moldova, 2014
• Member 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, Estonia, 2014

Awards

• Knight of Freedom Award, 2015
• Gold Badge of the Association of Poles in Lithuania, 2010
• Listed among the "Top 100 Global Thinkers 2012" by Foreign Policy magazine
• The Spectator and The Sunday Telegraph 'Young Writers' Award
• Wiktor Award [pl] for "Most Popular Politician", 2006
• Laurel of Skills and Competencies 2009
• Freedom Award, the Atlantic Council

Honorary Doctorates

• Honorary Doctorate, Nova University, Lisbon, 2015

Personal Life

Since 1992, Radosław Sikorski has been married to American journalist and historian Anne Applebaum. They have two sons named Aleksander (born 1997) and Tadeusz (born 2000).

See also

• History of Poland (1989–present)
• List of political parties in Poland
• List of politicians in Poland
• Politics of Poland
• 2005 Polish presidential election
• 2005 Polish parliamentary election
• 2007 Polish parliamentary election
• 2011 Polish parliamentary election
• 2015 Polish parliamentary election