In Warsaw, the poles already consider themselves front-row

The gates of Russia and especially the small territory of Kaliningrad and Ukraine, Poland is at the forefront of the European Union and NATO.

Warsaw witnessed the arrival of two million refugees who had been trying to enter for weeks. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the country has gained more and more political and military weight: hence the visit of US President Joe Biden on Friday, March 25th. And all the authorities take the Russian threat very seriously.

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Michael Potoki, a journalist with the magazine, explains that Poland considers itself already at the forefront because it thinks it is the next target. Dziennik Gazeta Prawna. Security, for him, is the primary problem and challenge, and Joe Biden’s visit to Poland underscores that this is indeed a priority. His Polish representative, Andrzej Duda, a supporter of Donald Trump, one of the last European leaders to congratulate Biden on his victory, made the clear choice to improve his relationship with Washington and block some reform plans. Very controversial.

“Aware of the growing threat of invasion in Ukraine, he realized that another controversial move from the US perspective could not be tolerated.”

Michael Botoki

at franceinfo

The Polish president in particular has always expected strong US and European military commitment. So these bills were easy to set aside, which also poisoned the relationship with Brussels, believes Daniel Selikovsky, a researcher at the Polish Institute for International Affairs.

“It simply came to our notice then. Daniel Selikovsky mentions. In Brussels’ view, the new priority is Ukraine and the security situation. So I think there is a political will on both sides today, in Brussels and Warsaw, to calm things down and put the conflict aside. “

Because, if you imagine for a second that Ukraine is falling, there will be a situation where Poland will have to follow the same path as Israel one day, because there is no other option: we are forced to militarize. “The Russian invasion of Ukraine was necessary to make the Polish position clear in the eyes of its allies.” Bardos Ridlinsky, a professor at the Institute for Political Studies in Warsaw, expressed regret.

“Surely, Bardos Ridlinsky concludes, Russia has been using it for years Soft power And its useful fools in Western Europe accuse Poland and the Baltic countries of russophobia. What we call Russophobia is what we call geopolitical realism. It is important for the future that our position becomes a majority in both the EU and NATO. “ Thus, since Poland’s accession to the European Union, it seems like a time for almost unprecedented regional unity and strategic reconciliation.