Meeting of NATO countries leaders in Madrid, June 2022. President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau.
By Ambassador Witold Dzielski
We are at a turning point in history – not only for Ukraine, Poland and Canada, but for a substantial portion of the globe. The actions and decisions we are now undertaking have, and will continue to have, profound and enduring consequences. An entire world order, based on principles of international law, hangs in the balance. Peace, stability, and respect for democracy and human rights are more than mere values – they are indispensable elements that safeguard prosperity and ensure a better future for all mankind. Sadly, Russia’s brutal and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine shows how, in the space of hours, a legacy of generations can be turned to ruins.
The world remains shocked by the savagery and brutality of the Russian invasion: the massacre of civilians, destruction of infrastructure and the wanton targeting of public facilities such as hospitals, schools and shopping malls. The Russia of Vladimir Putin is exhibiting history’s worst elements – authoritarianism, nationalism, imperialism and colonialism. Any remaining illusions of Russia as a reliable partner in international affairs are gone.
Although 150 days have elapsed since the onset of the current invasion, we know full well that the war began much earlier – in 2014 with the illegal annexation of Crimea and the duplicitous attempts to separate the Donbas region from Ukraine. All done in the spirit of forcefully imposing Russian will on Ukraine and preventing Ukrainians from determining their own future.
Poland and Canada are jointly weighing the consequences of Russia’s invasion; importantly, they are responding appropriately and resolutely to its implications for peace and stability in the world. As NATO allies and like-minded countries, Poland and Canada are staunchly defending fundamental values that are seriously being jeopardized by Putin’s authoritarian policies. As two countries and two nations, our political institutions and civic organisations, in tandem with millions of our individual citizens, have hastened to assist Ukraine and Ukrainians in their time of need.
Anti-aircraft MANPADS Piorun system. It is one of the best contemporary SHORAD solutions in the world. Piorun can be used against aircraft at a distance of up to 6.5 kilometers, flying at altitudes ranging from 10 meters to 4 kilometers. The missile features a digital seeker unit, which makes it virtually insensitive to jamming. It is also capable of neutralizing fixed- and rotary-wing assets, or UAVs, or even cruise missiles. Piorun is an all-weather weapon, thanks to the optoelectronic targeting device within the launch mechanism. The Piorun MANPADS is manufactured in Poland by the Mesko company, a part of the PGZ Group.
In keeping with our rock-solid security commitments to NATO, Polish and Canadian troops proudly stand shoulder to shoulder in protecting the organization’s eastern flank. Defence of the free world is our common concern and obligation. Our forces presently serve in joint fashion in the Enhanced Forward Presence mission (eFP) in Ādaži in Latvia. Poland believes that recent resolutions of the NATO summit in Madrid will provide a guarantee for a strong and permanent presence of our alliance in the region.
Polish Aid
Poland, in many respects, has provided more assistance to war-torn Ukraine than any other single country. With regard to monetary aid to Kyiv, Poland has delivered USD 3.1 billion dollars, or 0.46% of its GDP (as of 2 June 2022), in addition to extensive financial support to individual Ukrainian refugees residing in Poland. Warsaw has similarly provided wide-ranging political and diplomatic assistance to Kyiv both in the international sense and in bilateral formats. This action has resulted, among other things, in the imposition of sanctions on Russia.
A total of 4.57 million Ukrainian refugees have crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border since the beginning of the Russian invasion. For most their stay is temporary, while others continue to remain in Poland. This influx of Ukrainian refugees has triggered an unprecedented outpouring of generosity from Polish citizens, many of whom donate clothes and food, drive to the border to help transport refugees, and most importantly, open their homes unconditionally to those in need. Polish institutions on a governmental and local level have also extended privileges and social support to our Ukrainian sisters and brothers – identical to what Polish citizens themselves receive. This support ranges from free access to education and health care, psychological support and a variety of social benefits.
Military Assistance
Data provided by the Kiel Institute (Ukraine Support Tracker) shows that Poland has committed military aid of a higher value and in volumes that exceed any country other than the United States. Poland has sent military equipment to Ukraine worth at least USD 1.8 billion. In this regard, Poland has, among other things, presented Ukraine with over 200 T-72 tanks and a significant number of Piorun portable surface-to-air missiles.
: Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau during his visit in the military base in Adazi, Latvia, meets with the Polish soldiers which are part of the Canadian-led NATO eFP battlegroup.
An additional contribution that assists Kyiv in defending against Russian aggression is the donation of eighteen 155 mm Krab self-propelled howitzers, considered as one of the most modern artillery systems in the world. The aid package also includes support vehicles, such as LPG-based command platforms. Recently the Ukrainian government decided to purchase from the Polish producer another 54 Krab howitzers. This Ukrainian procurement constitutes the largest export contract to the Polish defense industry in at least three decades, with a value of PLN 2.7 billion.
Poland. Defending NATO’s border
Today Poland and the countries of our region are not only helping Ukraine in its heroic fight, they are also acting in defence of NATO and the European Union. In doing so, Poland has made a significant contribution to building NATO deterrence capabilities. Recently the Sejm (Parliament) of the Republic of Poland implemented The Act on Homeland Defense. These new regulations envisage the allocation of 3% of GDP to defense as of 2023, which is one of the highest levels in the entire Alliance.
The Polish government, while effectively guarding the border of NATO, also continues to neutralize threats stemming from a hybrid operation, begun in 2021, that involves innocent refugees and is being conducted by the Belarusian regime of Aleksandr Lukashenko. The forced creation of a permanent migratory route, operated and controlled by the Belarusian and Russian Special Services, was specifically designed to have a negative impact on the stability and functioning of EU countries, as well as the security of its citizens.
The Food Crisis
While unleashing terror and destruction in Ukraine (a vital world reservoir of grain), Russia deliberately accuses the West of causing global food insecurity. With its aggression, the Kremlin has striven to create a global humanitarian food catastrophe by effectively blockading key Ukrainian sea ports, by conducting deliberate theft of grain supplies, by distracting production capacities, and by generating global chaos among commodity markets. Such tactics make hostages of the world’s most vulnerable (i.e. undeveloped countries), it presents them with false information and furthermore uses them as leverage in the international arena. This is not the first time in history that Russia has used hunger as a weapon.
Meeting between Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Consequently, Warsaw supports the numerous initiatives proposed by our partner countries that are specifically aimed at facilitating the transport of Ukrainian grain. Also, in unilateral fashion, Poland, has undertaken measures to ensure the unhampered transport of Ukrainian agricultural products across the territory of Poland. Logistic corridors between our borders with Ukraine and ports within Poland are operational. What remains essential in tackling the food crisis is the proper and effective cooperation between all international organizations and institutions, at the level of the UN, the European Union, and at regional
levels.
NATO. Unity in light of the Madrid Summit
Adopted during the Madrid Summit, the new Strategic Concept sets out NATO’s main lines of action and development over a number of years. It pinpoints Russia as the most serious and direct threat to the security of the Allied countries, and it reiterates the idea that collective defense against all threats remains the Alliance’s principal aim and responsibility. This is a point of view shared by both Poland and Canada.
“Russia has ceased to be a NATO partner, which, frankly speaking, should have happened long ago, but today it really is without a doubt the greatest threat to NATO countries, especially those on the eastern flank.” – President Andrzej Duda, NATO Summit in Madrid, 2022.
At Madrid, the Allied members also unanimously decided to invite Finland and Sweden to join NATO, and both the Polish and the Canadian parliaments moved forward to swiftly ratify the documents for enlargement. This is a historic step that will result in the expansion of the area of co-operative security within Europe. It will further strengthen the transatlantic community and allow for better preparedness in facing threats from Russia.
War fatigue and Energy Policy
The humanitarian and economic exhaustion of Ukraine remains one of Moscow’s primary goals. With the war in Ukraine continuing into its fifth month with no resolution in sight, Vladimir Putin appears to be preparing for a prolonged conflict that could drag on for months or even years. A key element guiding Putin’s new strategy is his belief that the West will gradually lose interest in supporting Ukraine’s resistance, as the war continues to grind on indefinitely. Putin probably counts on the U.S. and EU resolve to weaken as food shortages, inflation and energy prices deteriorate. Thus, it is the obligation of our governments, media and experts to not allow the so-called phenomenon of war fatigue to creep into our mindset. We need to remain watchful with respect to some of our politicians and business actors who might hope to return to business as usual with Russia on the energy front. Furthermore, we need to understand that energy co-operation with Moscow will always have strings attached. These strings will be used to blackmail and destabilize the links between our countries. For this reason, Europe must continue strengthening its independence from the Russian energy supplies. Given its vast resources, technology and know-how, Canada has a special role to play in this regard.
Conclusion
The Russian aggression against Ukraine is driven by a distinctly neo-colonial ideology whereby the Ukrainian nation is denied its right to exist and is supposed to form ‘one nation’ with Russians. Ukrainians – with their separate language, culture, history and identity – are victims of this absurd ideology of ‘Russkiy Mir’ [The Russian World]. Russia seeks to dominate Ukrainians within their own country, to control the economy, the political life and to deny Ukrainians the right to determine their own future.
Poland stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine, with Canada and with its other allies in the struggle for freedom, sovereignty and restoration of peace in Europe. A democratic, prosperous, stable and free future remains our common responsibility.
