The international press wrote about the decision of Germany and the USA to send tanks to Ukraine. However, the unsung hero behind this groundbreaking decision was de facto Poland.
The leading role of Poland
Polish leaders played a key role in persuading Berlin in particular to provide Ukraine with modern tanks. This is one of many examples of Polish leadership in the face of the dramatic events of 2022, when Europe faced the biggest armed conflict on this continent since World War II.
Poland’s leading role in the European response to Putin’s invasion reflects its experience with Russian imperialism, both in the form of tsarism and in Soviet form. Since Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004, politicians in Warsaw have warned Europe of the growing threat from a reviving and revisionist Russia.
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Poles were particularly concerned about the increasingly close ties between Berlin and Moscow, which is why they vocally opposed Germany’s involvement in the Russian Nord Stream II gas pipeline. Polish politicians perceived this strategic energy infrastructure project as a modern version of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, which contributed to the outbreak of World War II and the invasion of Poland by the Nazi and Soviet states. They warned that the pipeline would allow Putin to bypass Ukraine’s gas transit system, leaving the country vulnerable to a full-scale invasion, while leaving Europe vulnerable to the blackmail of a Russian power cut. Germany, however, ignored these warnings until the eve of Russia’s attack in February 2022.
Poland’s leading role in Europe’s security policy today is not entirely new. Since joining NATO in 1999, Poland has turned out to be a pillar of security on the eastern flank of the Alliance. This became possible thanks to Poland’s strategic location and its enormous economic development, which helped finance the rapid modernization and expansion of the national armed forces. The Polish army currently ranks 20th among the most powerful armies in the world.
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Diplomatic offensive
In many ways, Poland set the standard for the European humanitarian response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Since the beginning of the invasion, it has taken in more refugees from Ukraine than any other European country, providing them with a whole range of benefits, such as access to health and education, along with employment opportunities. Last year, the Polish authorities registered over 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine.
Poland also makes the largest contribution to Ukraine’s military aid. In terms of per capita, Poland has in fact sent Ukraine more military aid than any other country besides the Baltic states. This assistance included hundreds of tanks and other key weapons. Poland plays an essential role in logistics activities aimed at providing military assistance to Ukraine, enabling a global coalition of countries to equip the Ukrainian army with the necessary weapons, equipment and ammunition.
On diplomatic grounds, Poland demanded stricter sanctions against Russia. Recently, Polish leaders pressed for Berlin’s decision to supply Ukraine with German Leopard 2 tanks and allow other countries to make such a decision. When German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hesitated, Poland threatened to hand over dozens of German leopards in defiance of German restrictions on further exports. “We will not passively watch Ukraine bleed to death,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. “However, it is up to Germany whether they want to join the mission of stopping Russia’s barbarism or watch it passively, dooming themselves to be written on the wrong side of history.”
Germany eventually relented, but this incident alone, along with all the fuss about Nord Stream 2, weakened Berlin’s position. Germany’s clear ambivalence towards predatory Russia and Berlin’s ties to the Kremlin enabled Poland to assume the position of a moral leader in matters of European security. This also included criticism of Austria and Hungary for allegedly succumbing to Putin’s whims. Poland also blames Germany for the delay in imposing sanctions. In April 2022, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki accused Germany of “blocking” the imposition of stricter sanctions on Russia. “You can see it in the meetings of the European Council. Anyone who reads the transcripts will know perfectly well that Germany is the main brake in imposing very strong sanctions,” he told journalists in Warsaw.
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Polish-Ukrainian ties
Polish leadership is helping to fill the geopolitical vacuum created by the waning influence of the forces that have traditionally dominated the shaping of Europe’s foreign policy. The UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, which significantly limited the country’s ability to shape Europe’s response to the Russian threat. At the same time, throughout his rule, Putin showed the ability to co-opt politicians and businessmen from France and Germany, offering them trade agreements, gas pipelines and other benefits. It was no coincidence that in 2014 the Russian dictator chose Germany and France for talks in the Normandy format to end the war started by Russia in eastern Ukraine. This approach resulted in the failed Minsk Protocol and set the stage for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Poland is now trying to warn the world of the danger posed by Putin’s Russia. “This is not a regional conflict. This war – Russia’s war against Ukraine – is the source of a world fire, this war will affect both our countries and yours. Unless it has already happened,” said President Andrzej Duda during the general debate of the UN General Assembly in 2022.
Poland’s leading role in leading Europe’s response to Putin’s invasion builds unprecedented ties between the Polish and Ukrainian peoples. In the past, these nations were divided by battles and historical disputes. However, they are now united by the existential threat posed by today’s Russia. Polls conducted in Ukraine regularly indicate Poland as the closest partner of Ukrainians.
While the Kremlin cynically disguises the murderous invasion of Ukraine under the name of “brotherhood of the Slavic nations”, it was the Poles – Ukraine’s Slavic neighbors – who offered genuine brotherly support. This is what will shape the geopolitical situation in the region. After defeating Russia, Ukraine is likely to tighten its partnership with Poland, creating a powerful bloc in European politics. Together, these two nations will have a significant voice in the wider democratic world. The geopolitical center of Europe is moving east, with Poland leading the way.
Read more: Ukrainians fleeing the war receive help in Poland and Lithuania
Diane Francis
Diane Francis is a British-Canadian author, editor-in-chief of the National Post since 1998, and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., specializing in Eurasian politics.
The text is published jointly with the Polish monthly “Wszystko, what is most important” in a historical project with the Institute of National Remembrance and the Polish National Foundation. Subheadings from the editors of “Kurier Wileński”.
Article published in the magazine “Kurier Wileński” No. 8(23) 25/02-03/03/2023
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