It seems that relations between Ukraine and Poland are moving into a new pragmatic phase which will focus on intensifying cooperation and solving specific problems. As an example, one can point to the first visit of Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Hroisman to Poland, which saw him attending the 26th Economic Forum in Krynica-Zdroj on September 6 and holding talks with head of the Polish government Beata Szydlo early on September 7.
It was precisely the need to intensify cooperation between the parties at the intergovernmental level to enable them to solve all the challenges facing our countries which Hroisman stressed at the press conference held after the talks with Szydlo. According to him, the meeting involved discussing measures intended to improve the situation on the border crossings between Ukraine and Poland, aiming to eliminate long queues and provide good services to travelers. The Ukrainian prime minister emphasized that the two countries had to strive for cooperation in many directions, including political, defense, energy and other fields.
For her part, Szydlo noted that Poland was ready to implement joint projects with Ukraine in the field of building up civil society institutions, and added that her nation wanted to be the ambassador of Ukraine in the EU and wished to see it join the union. Let us recall that earlier, many Ukrainian politicians called Poland the advocate of Ukraine in the EU, although “lobbyist” would have been a better word choice. However, do we really need an ambassador to the EU to make Brussels-based institutions listen to the voice of Ukraine?
As expected, the two prime ministers did not avoid the very difficult topic of historical relations between the two countries. “Poland and Ukraine have a common history and it is necessary to look for themes that unite the two countries,” remarked the Polish prime minister.
The Ukrainian head of government also noted that while relations between the two countries had been difficult in the past, they were good at present. “We have to achieve a single common reconciled stance on history,” he said and expressed hopes for a strategically good future.
When speaking the day before at the Krynica forum in the shared panel “Can Central Europe Speak with One Voice?” with heads of the governments of the Visegrad Group countries in the format V4 + Ukraine, Hroisman said: “Today, Ukraine needs help as much as the EU needs Ukraine. Using the example of Ukraine, we can change and stop the aggressor. We can show that what Russia has done just cannot be done in today’s world. So, we need a common stance on the need to put pressure on the aggressor, the nation which shows contempt of the international law. The sanctions against Russia are justified as punishment for ignoring international law and should be retained until the aggressor departs from the occupied territory of another sovereign state.”
When asked about the assistance which Ukraine needs today, the prime minister said that the country needed assistance for reforms based on the experience of the Visegrad Group countries, which went down this difficult path earlier. He listed strengthening cross-border cooperation between these countries as well as infrastructure, energy security, and national defense and security interaction as important tasks.
“IT WOULD BE BETTER IF THE POLISH GOVERNMENT SHIFTED ITS FOCUS ON SEARCHING THE TOPICS THAT WILL BRING UKRAINE AND POLAND TOGETHER IN THE FUTURE”
Aliona HETMANCHUK, director, Institute of World Policy, Kyiv:
“It is good that the Prime Minister of Poland is trying to search for the topics that united rather than disunited Ukraine and Poland in the past, but it would be better if the Polish government shifted its focus on searching the topics that will bring Ukraine and Poland together in the future. The agenda of the Polish-Ukrainian partnership should be filled with concrete projects, not with arguments about who was or is the bigger victim. As for the Visegrad Four, we must use all the possible platforms at this level. Ukraine must stop ignoring its neighbors. We must also admit at last that Ukraine is showing a downward tendency in relations with practically all of its European neighbors, except for Romania. We must work on this.”
“I HOPE THE PARTICIPATION OF HROISMAN IN THE KRYNICA FORUM WILL HELP IMPROVE KYIV’S RELATIONS WITH THE VISEGRAD GROUP COUNTRIES”
Piotr KOSCINSKI, expert, Polish Institute of International Affairs, Warsaw:
“It is very important that Ukraine’s Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroisman was present at this forum and met heads of the Visegrad Group governments, including our premier Beata Szydlo.
“We know that Hungary and Slovakia have different viewpoints on Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. I hope the participation of Hroisman in the Krynica forum will help improve Kyiv’s relations with the Visegrad Group countries.
“There are no problems with Poland in the question of anti-Russian sanctions, but some other countries are taking a somewhat different attitude.
“I’d like to point out that, from the political viewpoint, the meeting of the heads of government of the Visegrad Four and Ukraine in Krynica is important for both the European Union and Poland. We welcomed the presence of the Ukrainian premier at this meeting, for Ukraine can surely rely on Polish support.
“As for the importance of the Krynica forum, the European Union and Europe as a whole are facing various, including political and economic, problems. And it is very good that there is such thing as Economic Forum in Krynica-Zdroj. We can see that this kind of meetings help solve problems more speedily. Although the forum is not expected to make any specific decisions or conclude any international treaties, it shows a proper climate and is full of behind-the-scenes talks. It is therefore important that prime ministers of the Visegrad Group and Ukraine came there. Maybe, we will achieve no direct results today, but we are sure to do so after some time.”
