Ukrainian Member of Parliament Mykola Kniazhytskyi stated at the Kyiv Security Forum (KSF) that Poland currently has no historical choice but to support Ukraine and stand with Ukraine.
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"We did not have significant Ukrainophobic risks in Poland after the victory of 'Solidarity' throughout many Polish governments. Until this began to be used for internal political purposes. We remember how Russia tried to fuel the topic of Ukrainian-Polish conflicts: all Russian branches in Ukraine published a whole series of newspapers and magazines about Ukrainian-Polish confrontation, the same was done in Poland. And then came the Polish government that decided to make this a political card for itself. Although in our historical past there was a lot of high-quality and effective cooperation. However, to raise their rating, they began to use the anti-European, anti-German, and anti-Ukrainian card. This was mainly done by the previous Polish government – PiS (political party 'Law and Justice' – ed.). And with the start of the full-scale invasion, they stopped," Mykola Kniazhytskyi noted.
However, according to him, this seed was sown in society, so this card was picked up by the Polish far-right, who initiated both the border blockade with Ukraine, the blocking of transport, and involvement in political history.
"Now these [far right-wing] people are openly playing into the hands of Russia. I have no doubt that Russia's goal is to inflame Polish society. Unfortunately, this anti-Ukrainian card is still being used. But today, the European Union has changed its vision of the future of Europe and its security. Poland, more than anyone, is interested in Ukraine standing firm, because we realize that Poland could most likely be next. And both Medvedev and Putin speak directly about this. Therefore, Poland currently has no historical choice but to support Ukraine and stand with Ukraine. And Russia will today play on the support of far-right Eurosceptic movements," the MP commented.
In his opinion, the current Polish government definitely understands that Ukraine needs to be supported. There are currently no greater allies of Ukraine than the Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Radosław Sikorski, or other Polish politicians who are the first to speak out in defense of Ukraine if something anti-Ukrainian happens.
"I do not see a great threat of anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland, apart from those far-right forces that are supported by Russia, just as there is support for the far-right throughout Europe. If there were elections in Ukraine, Russia would bet on both pro-Russian and far-right, anti-Polish, and anti-European forces. Therefore, we need to unite with Poland around a common geopolitical interest – Ukraine's participation in the EU's defense strategy: cooperation in arms production, intelligence, and advocacy of common interests. In addition, we are all historically united by the values of democracy, which are currently under threat in Europe," Kniazhytskyi concluded.