Polish MP: Poroshenko Has 'Lost Control Over His Country and Over Himself'

Polish parliamentarian and national football legend Jan Tomaszewski came out with an extremely sharp criticism of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, telling Polish tabloid Super Express that the Ukrainian president has lost control of his country and himself, and noting that the world community must not allow Poroshenko to lead the world to the precipice of a Third World War.

Tomaszewski's angry outburst toward Poroshenko began over a question about the president's appeal to countries to boycott the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Sochi. A former goalie for the Polish National Football Team at the 1974 World Cup, Tomaszewski was unequivocal in his criticism.

"President Poroshenko has lost control not only over Ukraine, but over himself as well," Tomaszewski exclaimed. "Among other things, he started the civil war in Ukraine…and now he wants the whole world to pull hot coals out of the fire for him. Besides, didn't Ukrainian athletes compete in Sochi?"

"Now I hear that Mr. Poroshenko in his dirty boots wants to trample the flag of FIFA and the IOC," Tomaszewski continued. "It seems to me that this man should contact a doctor. Ukrainian athletes won medals in Sochi despite the civil conflict at home, and good on them! Poroshenko should not mix sports with politics."

The Civic Platform politician noted that "there will always be some fool who says that the Chinese shouldn't have the Olympics because of Tibet, or Russia, because of something else. What does one thing [sports] have to do with the other [politics]? Firstly, the event is three and a half years away, and secondly, did nobody see this when granting Russia the World Cup in the first place?"

When the Super Express reporter noted that things had changed since Crimea and the so-called Russian 'invasion' of Donbas, Tomaszewski retorted: "I'm sorry, but who started this? The civil war began on the Maidan. Let Poroshenko restore order at home first, to make peace with his own people, before launching appeals to unleash World War Three."

Regarding the Crimean referendum, which Kiev fiercely criticized, Tomaszewski noted that "all kinds of referendums and elections take place in Kiev, and we must recognize them, but if it's in Crimea, we shouldn't?" With his interviewer stating that the referendum had been falsified, Tomaszewski noted that he agrees, "but Mr. Poroshenko prepared this fate for himself. I'm sympathetic, but I appeal to the world community to finally open its eyes, because this man wants to lead us to a Third World War."

Told by his interviewer that he would "again be accused of being pro-Russian," Tomaszewski replied: "Let them. I'm talking about facts, not about some fantasies."