Back in July president Andrzej Dudatraveling to Washington, D.C. for the 75th anniversary summit NATOemphasized that in matters of security, the government and the Presidential Palace “speak with one voice” and “the government's position is completely consistent with the policy we have pursued so far.”
Then Duda clarified that when he said “us” he meant himself and the previous government.
Similar messages also came from the government. – In matters of safety, attitude towards Russiato Ukraine, when it comes to transatlantic ties, there is almost full consensus in Poland here. I I will take care of it, because it is our treasure – he said Donald Tusk during his visit to Joe Biden, to which he was invited together with President Duda.
A change in the position of the government and president towards Ukraine?
Comparing those statements with those made in recent days and weeks, one may have the impression that there is no longer one common position, but a clear divide, increasingly articulated by both sides. How lasted was this change and what did it result from?
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamyszdeputy prime minister and head of the Ministry of National Defense is one of the few people in the government with whom President Andrzej Duda has good or even very good relations. The two meet regularly and, as can be heard from those around the head of state and the deputy prime minister, they understand each other very well on many issues. Besides, they're both from Krakow and they have known each other for a long time. Their public dispute over the approach to Ukraine and the Volhynia issue may be even more surprising.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said in an interview with Polsat Newsthat “without clarifying many issues from the past (…) there is no question of Ukraine joining European Union“. – In my opinion, there is no way without clarifying many issues from the past, without also honoring the righteous Ukrainians who helped then, but above all, exhuming and honoring our compatriots, there is no way for Ukraine to join the European Union – he said Deputy Prime Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz.
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Even words szefa MY were a response to a controversial statement Dmytro Kulebythe former head of Ukrainian diplomacy, caused it anyway a very sharp reaction from the president. – If someone says that they will block Ukraine's access to the European Union, it means the same fits into politics Vladimir Putin. Well, I don't know if this is the intention of the current government, Andrzej Duda said in an interview also for Polsat News.
President Andrzej Duda talks about “scandalous blackmail”
When we ask people close to the head of state about these words, they answer that it is not about Kosiniak-Kamysz, but about the direction that the entire government, including the prime minister and the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is starting to push, and which direction the president does not like. .
Małgorzata Paprocka, head of the Chancellery of the President admits in an interview with Interia that there is nothing personal in what the president says.
– The president has a very consistent view on the issue of historical truth and has always made sure to present the Volhynia issue clearly in talks with the Ukrainian side. He believes that victims have the right to a decent burial and this is something we must not forget. This is a topic raised by the president in almost every meeting with President Zelensky. Merit president Andrzej Duda is Zełenski's presence in the cathedral in Lutsk during the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Volhynian massacre, where both presidents paid tribute to the victims – says Małgorzata Paprocka.
– However, the president does not agree to trying to play on this topic in the form of blackmail. Andrzej Duda was the first to come up with the idea of Ukraine joining the EU, so that Ukraine would turn towards the West as quickly and as strongly as possible, so he dislikes this approach even more. The president believes that this serves neither Poland nor the Polish raison d'état – he adds.
Our other palace interlocutors also admit that “It's not about Kosiniak, but about the case” and that the president is convinced that the radicalization of language and “scandalous blackmail”, as Andrzej Duda called it, will make Ukraine even more stiff and make it even more difficult to talk to it.
– Ukrainians are specific in conversations, and conversations with them are always difficult. The president is trying to approach this with understanding, knowing that it will bring a better result than making demands. He is also convinced that the quarrel between Poland and Ukraine is in Russia's interest today and we must not give in to it – reveals one of our interlocutors.
– This is not a good way of assessing values - he said on Friday on Polsat News Andrzej Dudareferring to the words of Kosiniak-Kamysz. – This matter must be dealt with differently, not by threatening Ukraine's integration with the West. Blocking Ukraine's integration with the West is one of the reasons why Putin attacked Ukraine, he added.
PSL responds sharply to the president
What does the other side say? Politicians PSLwith whom Interia spoke, maintain that the issue of Ukraine's accession to the EU should be conditional on solving the issue of exhumation of the victims of the Volhynia massacre
– How many years have we been trying to explain this matter and give it an appropriate status in history and politics? How much longer do we have to wait? Either you have to use the force of arguments or the argument of force. Today we are helping Ukraine and we still have to wait on a kneeler? Fortunately, foreign policy is not in the president's hands, he emphasized MP Dziedzic.
Relations between Poland and Ukraine. A turn in government policy?
Jan Piekło, former Polish ambassador in Kiev, is of the opinion that Kosiniak-Kamysz's statement and the position of PSL are not an accident at work. He thinks that We are dealing with a turnaround in the entire government policy when it comes to the attitude towards Ukraine.
– This is not only the position of the Ministry of National Defense or the head of the Ministry of National Defense, but of the entire government. Donald Tusk speaks indirectly, but in a similar tone, and Minister Sikorski also presents a similar attitude in many different episodes – he states Jan Piekło. And he adds that he hears it in these words false tone.
– I remember that not long ago, when Donald Tusk was not prime minister, he and other PO politicians officially declared support for Ukraine's accession to the EU. Moreover, Minister Sikorski even said that Poland would apply within NATO for permission to shoot down Russian missiles on Ukrainian territory, and that a Ukrainian brigade trained in Poland would be established. There's not much left of it today, he says, referring to the recent words of Donald Tusk, who said:That “Ukraine will not be a member of the European Union without Polish consent. and that it will have to “meet Polish expectations in terms of not digging into history, but rather arranging our relationship on the basis of the truth about this history.”
The government wants to force Ukraine to take action regarding Volhynia
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How much of this is the “fault” of the Ukrainian side and how much of it is the political calculation of Polish politicians is difficult to assess today. Jurasz's account shows that the Ukrainians' conversation style during the meeting with Sikorski was very demanding, which in turn surprised the Polish delegation. It is worth recalling that the previous government also had its problems in relations with Ukrainian partners.
– Sikorski can be criticized for many things, but whenever I observed him during conversations with foreign partners, he was able to behave very assertively. Not all Polish diplomats are able to do this, many of them often adopt an apologetic attitude resulting from some complexes. Sikorski, who has a very high opinion of himself, does not have this problem. That's why the offensive attitude of the Ukrainians made it even harder – analyzes in an interview with Interia a diplomat who can hardly be accused of sympathy towards Sikorski.
Eastern policy a victim of domestic politics?
There are increasingly strong signals from the government that Poland wants to use the upcoming EU presidency to obtain specific actions from Ukraine regarding the exhumation – in exchange for taking steps regarding Ukraine's future presence in the EU. Ukraine expects that the Polish Presidency will bring it closer to its goal, the Polish government seems to respond that “something for something”.
Former ambassador in Kiev Jan Piekło However, he is of the opinion that “using the topic of Volhynia as blackmail against Ukraine is a very dangerous game.” – In this respect, I agree with the president's position and I am grateful to him for what he said. The government and Minister Sikorski are falling into the ruts they were already in. During the dramatic events of the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, the minister told Ukrainians that they would either agree to a truce or “you will all die.” This is a similar situation and a similar blackmail. Well, Sikorski is not happy with Ukraine, he thinks.
Hell also has its own theory as to why this happens. In his opinion, eastern policy is a victim of domestic politics, as well as the presidential ambitions of Sikorski himself, who “what he is doing is trying to gain the sympathy of the extreme right, which has a skeptical attitude towards helping Ukraine.” – What is happening recently around Polish-Ukrainian relations is not beneficial either for Poland, Ukraine, NATO or the European Union – sums up the former Polish ambassador in Kiev.