On 15 August, Volodymyr Zelenski congratulated Poland on the anniversary of the Warsaw conflict and the Polish Army, highlighting the participation of Ukrainian soldiers in the defence of Warsaw. The motion is important, but for Poland it means 1 thing: cooperation with Kiev must go along with the historical fact and Polish interest.
A motion towards Poland and the Polish Army
The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski congratulated Poland on the anniversary of the Warsaw conflict and the Polish Army. According to Polsat News, the Ukrainian leader recalled that in 1920 the destiny of the nation and the Polish state was decided, and the Bolshevik offensive was besides stopped by the efforts of Ukrainian soldiers.
These are words worth noting. The conflict of Warsaw is not just a date from a textbook. This is the minute erstwhile Poland stopped the red march to the West and showed that a nation after 123 years of captivity can defend its own state. erstwhile the president of Ukraine refers to this memory, he enters the space for Poles politically and historically sacred.
At the same time, the measurement must not be lost. Diplomatic motion is simply a gesture. It will not replace hard findings about security, historical policy, exhumations and Polish conditions towards Kiev.
The 1920 Alliance was realism
The historical context is clear. As it reminds me Government portal Gov.pl, 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers fought together with Poland After the alliance of Józef Piłsudski and Symon Petlura against Bolsheviks. In August 1920, Colonel Marko Bezruczko commanded the defence of Zamość, and soldiers of the Ukrainian People's Republic took part in fighting the Red Army.
It was a business policy, not a sentimental legend. Poland wanted to push Russia distant from its borders and make a buffer in the east. Petlura sought a chance for independent Ukraine. Both sides had their own goals. This is the lesson for modern times: alliances make sense erstwhile they service the safety of the state, not erstwhile they become moral blackmail or an empty ritual.
In a akin spirit, DN wrote that 1920 memory cannot cover Polish sovereignty. The celebration of the Polish Army is simply a celebration of Polish strength, Polish victim and Polish right to its own politics. abroad congratulations are an addition, not an axis of this story.
Kiev knows the importance of Polish memory
Zelenski understands well that the mention to 1920 has political importance in Poland. During the war with Russia, Ukraine needs Polish background, Polish public opinion and Polish patience. That's why the language of fighting Moscow is coming back so often.
There's nothing weird about it. Russia is simply a threat to the full region, and the defeat of Russian imperialism is in Poland's interest. The problem begins erstwhile the right indication of a common opponent is to close his mouth in hard matters. Polish memory does not work selectively. There is the conflict of Warsaw in it, but there is besides Volyn, OUN-UPA and an work worthy of the burial of Polish victims.
Therefore, hard realism is needed in relations with Kiev. We can support Ukraine against Russia due to the fact that Poland's safety requires this. At the same time, we can request historical truth, respect for Polish sensitivity and the end of gestures that hurt families of victims. 1 hates the other.
Polish conditions alternatively of gratitude without end
In fresh days, the portal reminded that Zelenski and Kiev must hear Polish conditions. It's not anti-Ukrainian. It's a average attitude of a state that knows its own interests and doesn't give historical politics into individual else's hands.
Poland paid a advanced price for freedom. In 1920, she defended herself and a large part of Europe against Bolshevikism. present she has the right to anticipate from her neighbour a full memory, not a comfortable one. Zelenski's wishes are a diplomaticly reasonable step. The real test comes later: in decisions about exhumations, in the names of units, in textbooks, in the treatment of Polish victims.
If Kiev wants a lasting partnership with Warsaw, it must realize the simple thing. Poland is not a base without its own memory. He's a state of his own. And it is from this position that she should answer all congratulations, all thanks and all request for support.
Source: Polsat News, Gov.pl.
Source: Polsat News
