On October 1st, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw to discuss Ukraine’s defense needs and bilateral relations between the two countries. Sybiha also met with a number of Polish and other E.U. officials on the sidelines of the Warsaw Security Forum.
During the meeting, Sybiha and Duda discussed Ukraine’s priority defense needs, further military aid, and the country’s path to joining NATO and the EU. They also identified ways to strengthen the good-neighborly relations between Ukraine and Poland.
The meeting between the two leaders comes at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries, particularly regarding the 1943 Volyn (Volhynia) massacre. This historic event, in which members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) killed tens of thousands of Poles in Nazi-occupied Volyn, continues to affect modern-day negotiations between Poland and Ukraine. Efforts to reconcile and resolve the issue have not yet been successful.
In September, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called on the Ukrainian government to address the Volyn issue, stating that it is a non-political matter that cannot be negotiated. Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz also stated that Ukraine would not be able to join the EU until the issue was resolved. However, Duda criticized these remarks, stating that they align with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies.
In addition, Sikorski’s comments about “demilitarizing” the Crimean peninsula, which Russia has illegally occupied since 2014, sparked backlash among the Crimean Tatar community in Ukraine. Despite these tensions, Sybiha stated that Ukraine is ready to work with Poland on even the most difficult issues, and that they have enough political will and diplomatic talent to find solutions.
Despite the strain in diplomatic relations, Poland has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion in 2014. They have provided billions of dollars in military, economic, and humanitarian aid, and have hosted millions of Ukrainian refugees.
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