Dmitry Miedwiediew, former president of Russia and current deputy chairman of the Security Council, has suggested that Moscow should sue Poland over the Belweder Palace in Warsaw, claiming the residence was built with tsarist funds and is illegally held by Poland. This statement comes as a direct response to Poland’s legal action against Russia over the former Russian consulate building in Gdańsk.
The dispute erupted after Poland filed a lawsuit on June 12 at the District Court in Gdańsk, demanding the return of the property at ul. Batorego. According to the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Poland, Russian officials failed to vacate the building by the December 23, 2025 deadline. In November 2024, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski revoked permission for the Russian diplomatic mission to operate, citing acts of sabotage on Polish railways.
Miedwiediew, quoted by the Russian state agency TASS, fired back with a historical claim. – Let me remind these unrestrained usurpers of something else. The current residence of the Polish president – the Belweder – was built with money from the Russian tsarist treasury. That’s Russian money! – he wrote. – It would be worth considering our country filing a lawsuit to take over the palace from the illegal possession of the newly formed Rzeczpospolita – he added.
A palace with a contested history
The Belweder Palace, whose name comes from Italian meaning 'beautiful view’, dates back to the 16th century when it served as a residence for Queen Bona Sforza. Under King Stanisław August Poniatowski, it housed a royal faience factory. The building was later purchased in 1818 by the authorities of the Kingdom of Poland (Congress Poland), which was in a personal union with the Russian Empire. It was then rebuilt and converted into a residence for Grand Duke Constantine, brother of Tsar Alexander I – it is this reconstruction that Miedwiediew refers to as being financed by tsarist funds. After World War I, the palace became home to Józef Piłsudski and presidents Gabriel Narutowicz and Stanisław Wojciechowski. Following World War II, Bolesław Bierut lived there, and after 1989 it housed presidents Wojciech Jaruzelski and Lech Wałęsa, until the official presidential residence was moved to the Palace on Krakowskie Przedmieście.
The Belweder now serves as a ceremonial seat of the Polish head of state and is a symbol of national heritage. Miedwiediew’s call to reclaim it is seen by many as a provocative escalation in the ongoing diplomatic spat between Warsaw and Moscow.
Legal battle over the Gdańsk consulate
The core of the conflict lies in the Gdańsk property, which Russia insists belongs to it, while Poland argues it is state property. The Polish government’s decision to revoke the consulate’s permit followed intelligence reports linking the building to Russian sabotage operations targeting Polish railway infrastructure. The Kremlin has rejected these allegations and continues to occupy the premises despite the court order. The lawsuit in Gdańsk is now proceeding, and Miedwiediew’s Belweder proposal appears to be a tit-for-tat threat designed to pressure Warsaw. Analysts note that while the Belweder claim has little legal basis under international law, it could further strain already tense relations between the two countries.
Poland has consistently condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine and has been a key supporter of Kyiv, while Russia views Poland’s stance as hostile. The current diplomatic row over real estate is unlikely to be resolved quickly, as both sides dig in on historical and legal arguments.
Źródło: Polsat News, Fot. Polsat News
