Poland–Ukraine relations

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Polish-Ukrainian relations
Map indicating locations of Poland and Ukraine

Poland

Ukraine
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of Poland, KyivEmbassy of Ukraine, Warsaw

Polish–Ukrainian relations as international relations were revived soon after Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. They have been both improving and deteriorating since. Various controversies from their shared history occasionally resurface in Polish–Ukrainian relations, but they tend not to have a major influence on the bilateral relations of Poland and Ukraine.[1]

Ukraine and Poland are respectively, the second and third largest Slavic countries, after Russia. The two countries share a border of about 529 km.[2] Poland's acceptance of the Schengen Agreement created problems with the Ukrainian border traffic. On July 1, 2009, an agreement on local border traffic between the two countries came into effect, which enables Ukrainian citizens living in border regions to cross the Polish frontier according to a liberalized procedure.[3]

Ukraine is a member of the Eastern Partnership, a European Union project initiated by Poland in 2009 which is intended to provide an avenue for discussions of trade, economic strategy, travel agreements, and other issues between the EU and its Eastern European neighbours.

Ukraine is the country with the largest number of Polish consulates.[4]

Comparison[]

Poland Poland Ukraine Ukraine
Coat of Arms Poland Ukraine
Population 38,383,000 41,660,982
Area 312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi) 603,628  km2 (233,062 sq mi)
Population Density 123/km2 (318/sq mi) 73.8/km2 (191.1/sq mi)
Capital Warsaw Kyiv
Largest City Warsaw – 1,790,658 (3,100,844 Metro)[5][6] Kyiv – 3,703,100 (5,989,500 Metro)[7][8]
Government Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic
Official language Polish (de facto and de jure) Ukrainian (de facto and de jure)
Current Leader President Andrzej Duda
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki
President Volodymyr Zelensky
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal
Main religions 92.9% Christianity, 3.1% non-religious, 1.3% other, 2.7% unstated 87.3% Christianity, 11% non-religious, 0.8% other, 0.9% unstated
Ethnic groups 98% Polish, 2% other or unstated [9][10] 77.8% Ukrainians, 17.3% Russians, 4.9% other or unstated
GDP (PPP) $1.353 trillion, $35,651 per capita $429.947 billion, $10,310 per capita
GDP (nominal) $607 billion, $15,988 per capita $161 billion $3,881 per capita
Expatriate populations 144,000 Polish citizens live in Ukraine (2001) 1,200,000 Ukrainian citizens live in Poland (2017)
Military expenditures $13.7 billion $12.9 billion[11][12]

History of relations[]

Polish-Ukrainian relations can be traced to the 16th-17th centuries in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the often turbulent relations between that state and the mostly polonized nobility (szlachta) and the Cossacks. And even further into the 13th-14th centuries when the Kingdom of Poland and the Ruthenian Kingdom maintained close ties. Present day relations remain somewhat turbulent.

The next stage would be the relations in the years 1918–1920, in the aftermath of World War I, which saw both the Polish-Ukrainian War and the Polish-Ukrainian alliance. The interwar period would eventually see independent Poland while the Ukrainians had no state of their own, being divided between Poland and the Soviet Union. This led to a deterioration of Polish-Ukrainian relations, and would result in a flare-up of ethnic tensions during and immediately after World War II (massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Operation Vistula being the most infamous).

While this left the Polish-Ukrainian relations in the mid-20th century in a relatively poor state, there was little meaningful and independent diplomacy and contact between the Polish People's Republic (Poland) and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukraine). The situation changed significantly with the fall of communism, when both Poland and Ukraine became fully independent and could once again decide on foreign policies of their own.

Modern era[]

1989—2004[]

In September 1989, shortly after the democratic forces led by Solidarity came to power in Warsaw, a group of Polish parliamentarians arrived in Kyiv for the constituent congress of the People's Movement of Ukraine. They supported the aspirations of the national democratic forces of Ukraine. It was then that the foundations of a new model of Polish-Ukrainian relations were laid.

Progress in Polish-Ukrainian relations was evidenced by the decision of the Polish Senate of July 27, 1990 on the proclamation of Ukraine on July 16, 1990, the Declaration of State Sovereignty. This document, in particular, states: "Poles, who consider freedom and independence of the Fatherland as their core values, fully understand the turning point in the history of Ukraine - a neighbor with whom they want to live as equal and close peoples, as well as develop cooperation in everything … »

On August 3, 1990, the Senate of the Republic of Poland adopted a special statement in which it gave a political and moral assessment of the Vistula action. The statement stated that “the communist authorities, having begun to liquidate units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, at the same time forcibly relocated persons, mainly of Ukrainian nationality. Within three months, about 150,000 people, deprived of their property, houses and shrines, were evicted from various places. For many years they were not allowed to return, and then it was difficult for them to return. The Senate of the Republic of Poland condemns the action "Vistula", typical of totalitarian regimes, and will try to compensate for the insults arising from it. "

Victor Yushchenko (R), President of Ukraine, kisses Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of Poland, Davos, 2005

On October 13, 1990 Poland and Ukraine agreed to the "Declaration on the foundations and general directions in the development of Polish-Ukrainian relations". Article 3 of this declaration said that neither country has any territorial claims against the other, and will not bring any in the future. Both countries promised to respect the rights of national minorities on their territories and to improve the situation of minorities in their countries.

On December 2, 1991, the Republic of Poland was the first foreign country to recognize Ukraine's state independence. Diplomatic relations were established between the two countries on January 8, 1992. On May 18, 1992, the interstate Ukrainian-Polish Agreement on Good Neighborliness, Friendly Relations and Cooperation was signed.

On May 18-19, 1992, the first official visit of the President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk to the Republic of Poland took place, during which an interstate Treaty on Good Neighborliness, Friendly Relations and Cooperation was signed, in which it was stated that the countries structures based on the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Paris Charter for a New Europe ", " will take and support measures aimed at preserving and developing positive traditions of common heritage, as well as overcoming prejudices and negative stereotypes between the two nations. "

On May 24-25, 1993, the President of Poland Lech Wałęsa paid an official visit to Ukraine, one of the main results of which was the establishment of the Advisory Committee of the Presidents of Ukraine and the Republic of Poland. In February of the same year, an agreement on military cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Ministry of National Defense of Poland, which was supplemented in a number of protocols in the following years.

In March 1994, the Declaration of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Poland on the Principles of Ukrainian-Polish Partnership was signed, in which the Ministers of Foreign Affairs for the first time at the interstate level declared the strategic importance of Ukrainian-Polish relations and pledged to develop them in the future.

Poland has agreed to help Ukraine integrate into Western European organizations, primarily NATO and the EU. As Jerzy Kozakiewicz, the first Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Ukraine, noted in early 1996, "one of the most important tasks of Polish foreign policy is to spread and strengthen various bilateral instruments in our bilateral relations with Ukraine that would facilitate its path to European institutions." The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine figuratively defined the main direction of cooperation with Poland: "For Ukraine, the way through Moscow leads to Siberia, and through Warsaw - to Paris."

After the visits of Leonid Kuchma to Warsaw on June 25-27, 1996 and the newly elected President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski to Kyiv on May 20-22, 1997, Ukrainian-Polish relations reached the level of a strategic partnership. On May 21, the two heads of state signed a joint informal Declaration of Harmony and Unity.

The purposeful development of Polish-Ukrainian political cooperation allowed Ukraine to enlist the support of Poland in establishing the first dialogue with the United States and the leading states of Europe. The National Security Strategy of Poland declares Warsaw's support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, in particular, as part of the continuation of the "open door" policy to NATO. In addition, it is emphasized that Polish-Ukrainian cooperation should help consolidate Ukraine's important role in European security policy.

During the official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Bronisław Geremek to Ukraine on September 15-16, 1998, the parties agreed to intensify joint actions in order to avoid possible negative consequences of EU enlargement. Bronisław Geremek also noted that his country will continue to support Ukraine's integration aspirations, in particular in gaining the status of an associate member of the EU. At the end of March 1999, the first meeting of the Ukrainian-Polish Conference on European Integration took place in Warsaw.

Although some Ukrainian officials, scholars and political scientists have expressed concern that after Poland becomes a member of NATO, Warsaw will turn away from Ukraine, but as it turned out, a characteristic feature of the Polish state's "Ukrainian policy" was and remains support for Ukraine's cooperation and rapprochement with NATO. and elected by Kyiv in 2002 for integration into the Alliance. This is due to Poland's vision of the basic contours of European security in the context of its national interests and the desire to play an important role in a renewed Alliance that adapts to modern conditions.

Similar reasons determine the Polish support for Ukraine's European integration. An independent and strong, and most importantly, friendly Ukraine for Poland is a significant counterweight to the influences and ambitions of the Russian Federation, an important instrument of Polish Eastern European policy. Speaking in the Sejm of the Republic of Poland on March 5, 1998, B. Geremek had every reason to say that “independent Ukraine is of key strategic importance both for Poland and its security, and for stability in the entire region. Maintaining privileged relations with Ukraine contributes to strengthening European security. "

2004—2014[]

Support for Ukrainian sovereignty has become an important component of Polish foreign policy.[13] Poland strongly supported the peaceful and democratic resolution of the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine, and has backed NATO-Ukraine cooperation (such as the Lithuanian–Polish–Ukrainian Brigade), as well as Ukraine's efforts to join the European Union.[13][14]

Poland's accession to the European Union has created a new reality for Ukraine: for the first time, a country has appeared among its members that has lobbied for Ukraine's course towards EU membership, as well as NATO. At the same time, in the conditions of post-orange development there was a need for significant modernization of the structure and filling of the political dialogue between Ukraine and Poland. For example, cooperation aimed at achieving Ukraine's compliance with the first of the Copenhagen criteria for EU membership ("political" criterion): ensuring the stability of democratic institutions, protection of human rights and the rule of law has become essential. 2005 was declared the Year of Ukraine in the Republic of Poland and inaugurated in Warsaw in April 2005 with the participation of President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko. Ukraine and Poland have signed agreements on academic recognition of documents on education and scientific degrees and on cooperation in the field of informatization. Trade, economic, scientific and technical ties between Ukraine and Poland have expanded. The Republic of Poland has become Ukraine's most important economic partner in Central Europe. Ukraine is the second largest country to which Polish exports went. As of 2008, the joint Ukrainian-Polish cooperation program in the field of science and technology included more than 150 joint research projects.

Cross-border cooperation has developed within the framework of the Karpaty and Bug Euroregions established in the mid-1990s. At the same time, almost all areas of bilateral relations faced problems related to Poland's entry into the Schengen Area from the end of 2007, which led to new procedures and rules for crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border and, accordingly, created additional difficulties for developing and optimizing cooperation between the two. states.

An important focus of the development of bilateral relations was Poland's initiation of the activation of the Eastern vector in EU policy. The idea of strengthening the eastern vector of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) became one of the priorities of Poland's foreign policy in 2008, which positioned itself as a leader in this direction. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, presenting the country's foreign policy for 2008 in the Sejm on May 7, 2008, declared the idea: "Poland should continue to specialize in developing a common foreign policy towards the East." At the same time, Poland has sought and continues to seek to strengthen its position in the EU, primarily by strengthening its role in Eastern Europe. Jan Kalicki, director of the Center for Eastern European Studies at the University of Warsaw, confirmed this idea in an interview with Polish Radio: "I want to emphasize that the strength of Poland's position in the European Union depends on the support and strength we have in the East." The Polish Foreign Minister stressed that his country intends to implement the ENP in the east with its partners - the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania and Bulgaria, as well as with Sweden. At the European Council in March 2008, Poland supported the proposal to create a Union for the Mediterranean and thus counted on the support of the EU to separate the eastern direction of the ENP.

At the same time, these intentions of Poland were realized and reflected in the joint Polish-Swedish proposal "Eastern Partnership" of May 23, 2008. It was presented and approved at the meeting of the EU General Policy Council and the Council on Foreign Relations on May 26, 2008. in Brussels and has become the flagship initiative of the entire EU. On 26 May 2008, during a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels, Poland and Sweden presented a joint proposal to deepen the EU's Eastern policy, known as the EU's Eastern Partnership (EU). The JV initiative is addressed to six countries: direct addressees - Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as technical and expert cooperation with Belarus. A JV is a set of specific tools that do not guarantee the prospect of EU membership. At the same time, through this toolkit it provides an opportunity to open EU channels for the implementation of integration projects in certain countries. According to many politicians and researchers, the JV can be a useful mechanism that will accelerate the political and economic modernization of the Eastern partners [8]. Thus, since Poland's accession to the EU, relations have been filled with new content, and its role as a lawyer and lobbyist for Ukraine's European integration and Euro-Atlantic course has been strengthened. This was manifested, on the one hand, in support of Ukraine's ideas, and on the other - in the development and implementation of a specific program of EU cooperation with Eastern Europe. First of all, we are talking about the neighborhood program and especially about the Eastern Partnership project. It is the Polish-Swedish initiative aimed at real acceleration of the process of Ukraine's accession (along with other Eastern European countries) to EU integration.

Poland has been an avid supporter of Ukraine throughout the tumultuous period of the Euromaidan and the 2014 Crimean Crisis. The Polish government has campaigned for Ukraine in the European Union and is a supporter of sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine. Poland has declared that they will never recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia. In 2014, Poland's ex-foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski alleged that in 2008, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to then Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in the division of Ukraine between Poland and Russia. Sikorski later stated that some words had been over-interpreted, and that Poland did not take part in annexations.[15] Especially during this period, Poland took a large number of Ukrainian refugees.

2015—present[]

Different interpretations of bitter events regarding Poles and Ukrainians during World War II have led to a sharp deterioration of the relations between the nations since 2015.[16]

Historical issues regarding the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and their massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia remain a contested topic. Ukrainian memory laws (the Ukrainian decommunization laws) passed in 2015, honoring UPA, related organizations and its members, were criticized in Poland.[17] In turn, in July 2016, the Polish Sejm passed a resolution, authored by the Law and Justice party, making July 11 a National Day of Remembrance of Victims of Genocide, noting that over 100,000 Polish citizens were massacred during a coordinated attack by the UPA.[18] Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko voiced regrets on the decision, arguing that it can led to "political speculation". In response, Ukrainian MP drafted a resolution declaring March 24 "Memorial Day of the Victims of Polish state genocide against Ukrainians in 1919-1951". The Marshal of the Polish Senate Stanislaw Karczewski condemned the motion.[19]

In 2016, a special screening of the Polish film Volhynia by the Polish Institute in Kyiv for Ukrainian MPs was postponed due to concerns that it may disrupt public order, on recommendations from the Ukrainian foreign ministry.[20]

In April 2017 the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance forbade the exhumation of Polish victims of the 1943 massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia as part of the broader action of halting the legalization of Polish memorial sites in Ukraine, in a retaliation for the dismantling of a monument to UPA soldiers in Hruszowice, Western Poland.[16][21]

Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Andrzej Duda, 2019

Polish President Andrzej Duda expressed his concerns with appointment to high Ukrainian offices of people expressing nationalistic anti-Polish views. The Ukrainian foreign ministry stated that there is no general anti-Polish sentiment in Ukraine.[22]

In 2018, novelized Article 2a of the Polish Act on the Institute of National Remembrance, which from then on discusses the "crimes of Ukrainian nationalists and members of Ukrainian organizations collaborating with the Third German Reich", again caused criticism from the Ukrainian side. In Ukraine, the Amendment has been called "the Anti-Banderovite Law".[23][24]

In August 2019, President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to lift the moratorium on exhuming Polish mass graves in Ukraine after the previous Ukrainian government banned the Polish side from carrying out any exhumations of Polish victims of the UPA-perpetrated Volhynian massacres.[25]

On 28 July 2020, Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania entered into a new international collaboration format known as the "Lublin Triangle". It was signed in the city of Lublin, eastern Poland, by the Foreign Ministers of Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania: Jacek Czaputowicz, Dmytro Kuleba and Linas Linkevičius respectively. The Ukrainian foreign minister said that the new format "will be an important element in the development and strengthening of Central Europe, but also in strengthening Ukraine as a full member of the European and Euro-Atlantic family". The cooperation will not only concern defense issues but will also involve bolstering economic cooperation, trade, and tourism between the three countries. A joint declaration on the creation of the Lublin Triangle stressed the importance of intensifying the cooperation between the EU, NATO, and the Eastern Partnership and paying special attention to the development of the Three Seas Initiative.[26]

Resident diplomatic missions[]

  • Poland has an embassy in Kyiv and consulates-general in Kharkiv, Lutsk, Lviv, Odessa and Vinnytsia.
  • Ukraine has an embassy in Warsaw and consulates-general in Wrocław, Gdańsk, Kraków, Lublin and Opole.


See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Copsey, 2006.
  2. ^ "Informacje o Polsce - informacje ogólne" [Information about Poland - general information] (in Polish). prezydent.pl. 22 February 2005. Archived from the original on 2005-02-22.
  3. ^ "Local Border Traffic Agreement With Poland Takes Effect". Ukrainian News Agency. 1 July 2009. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Poland to open consulate general in Sevastopol in 2010". Kyiv Post. 17 May 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-05-18.
  5. ^ "GUS - Bank Danych Lokalnych". bdl.stat.gov.pl. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  6. ^ Eurostat. "Eurostat Warsaw metro population".
  7. ^ "У Києві живе 10% усього населення України – електронний перепис". The Village Україна. 2020-01-23. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  8. ^ БизнесЦензор. "Що показав електронний перепис населення України". БизнесЦензор (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  9. ^ Struktura narodowo-etniczna, językowa i wyznaniowa ludności Polski. Narodowy Spis Powszechny Ludności i Mieszkań 2011 [National-ethnic, linguistic and religious structure of Poland. National Census of Population and Housing 2011] (PDF) (in Polish). Central Statistical Office. 2015. ISBN 978-83-7027-597-6.
  10. ^ Ludność. Stan i struktura demograficzno-społeczna. Narodowy Spis Powszechny Ludności i Mieszkań 2011 [Population. Number and demographical-social structure. National Census of Population and Housing 2011] (PDF) (in Polish). Central Statistical Office. 2013. ISBN 978-83-7027-521-1.
  11. ^ "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №167/2019". Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  12. ^ "РНБО позбулося мільярдів, найбільше отримали ДССТ і СБУ – як змінився оборонний бюджет до другого читання". Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  13. ^ a b Zajączkowski, 2005.
  14. ^ Polskie Radio. Poland supports Ukraine retrieved 18.03.2008
  15. ^ "Polish ex-minister quoted saying Putin offered to divide Ukraine with Poland". Reuters. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  16. ^ a b "The Polish-Ukrainian Battle for the Past"., Carnegie Europe
  17. ^ ""Mówię: UPA odpowiada za ludobójstwo Polaków. Ukraińcy, ścigajcie mnie!"" (in Polish). Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  18. ^ "Polish MPs adopt resolution calling 1940s massacre genocide". Radio Poland. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  19. ^ "Marshal of Polish Senate Warns Ukraine against Adopting Resolution on Genocide". Ukrayinska Pravda. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  20. ^ "Kiev screening of Polish film on WWII massacre postponed". Radio Poland. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  21. ^ "Ukrainians call on Poland to rebuild controversial monument", Radio Poland
  22. ^ "Poland's Duda urges Ukraine leadership not to appoint to high positions officials with anti-Polish views"., UNIAN
  23. ^ "Ukraińskie media o oświadczeniu prezydenta Dudy: słowo Ukraina nawet nie padło"
  24. ^ "Польські депутати вночі прийняли закон про заборону 'бандерівської ідеології' " [Tonight Polish Parliamentaries Passed the Law on the Ban of the "Banderovite Ideology"] ZN.UA, September 1, 2018,
  25. ^ "Ukrainian president to resume exhumation of Poles in Ukraine: report". Telewizja Polska. 29 August 2019. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  26. ^ "Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania create "Lublin Triangle," stirring memories of 17th century republic". Retrieved 30 July 2020.

Further reading[]

  • R. and K. Wolczuk, Poland and Ukraine: a strategic partnership in a changing Europe? Royal Institute of International Affairs, 2003.
  • Iffly, Catherine, Du conflit à la coopération? Les rapprochements franco-allemand, germano-polonais et polono-ukrainien en perspective comparée (The French-German, German-Polish and Polish-Ukrainian Rapprochements in Comparative Perspective), Revue d'Allemagne, 35/4, 2003.
  • Zajączkowski, Wojciech, Polish-Ukrainian Relations, Yearbook of Polish Foreign Policy (01/2005), [1]
  • Siwiec, Marek, The Polish-Ukrainian Relations during the Last Decade, The Polish Foreign Affairs Digest (4 (5)/2002), [2]
  • Joanna Konieczna, Poles and Ukrainians, Poland and Ukraine: The Paradoxes of Neighbourly Relations
  • Kevin Hannan, review of Polska-Ukraina: 1000 lat sąsiedztwa, The Sarmatian Review, September 2004
  • Copsey, N. (2006) Echoes of the Past in Contemporary Politics: the case of Polish-Ukrainian Reconciliation, SEI Working Paper, No. 87.
  • Oleksandr Pavliuk, The Ukrainian-Polish Strategic Partnership and Central European Geopolitics
  • Litwin Henryk, Central European Superpower, BUM Magazine, 2016.
  • Дрозд Р., Гальчак Б. Історія українців у Польщі в 1921–1989 роках / Роман Дрозд, Богдан Гальчак, Ірина Мусієнко; пер. з пол. І. Мусієнко. 3-тє вид., випр., допов. – Харків : Золоті сторінки, 2013. – 272 с.
  • Roman Drozd, Roman Skeczkowski, Mykoła Zymomrya: Ukraina — Polska. Kultura, wartości, zmagania duchowe. Koszalin: 1999.
  • Roman Drozd, Bohdan Halczak: Dzieje Ukraińców w Polsce w latach 1921–1989». Warszawa: 2010
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