Meeting of NATO
countries leaders in Madrid, June 2022. President of
the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda and Prime
Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau.
Ambassador
RP Witold Dzielski:
NATO’S
EASTERN FLANK – OUR COMMON RESPONSIBILITY
August 11, 2022
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. 
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.
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.
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.
http://espritdecorps.ca/in-the-news/natos-eastern-flank-our-common-responsibility
|
Wtorek, 16 sierpnia 2022
Grupa Robocza „Starość
po Polsku” zaprasza na spotkanie informacyjne w sobotę 27 sierpnia, o godz.
18:00 (po Mszy Św o 17:00), w sali
pod kościołem Św. Jacka, 201 LeBreton Street North.
W programie: Omówienie konceptu i postępu prac nad
stworzeniem placówki Abbeyfield Polonia House w
Ottawie, Informacje na temat opcji opieki w języku
ojczystym dla polskich seniorów, Wolontariat dla
dobra polonijnych seniorów. Kontakt: pani Zofia
Wald-Mróz, Prezes, Abbeyfield Polonia House, email:
Stanisław
Rafał Kielar
Stanisław Rafał Kielar
