“We have a crisis in Central Europe. NATO’s goal is collective defense, and it works. The facts are that this region is safe,” US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzeziński said in an interview with Super Express. The US diplomat also referred to Joe Biden’s planned visit to Poland and assessed NATO’s efforts to date in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A major event in world diplomacy at the beginning of the year is the visit of the President of the United States to Poland on the eve of the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The arrival of Biden at such a symbolic moment is a matter of great prestige for Poland and the entire region of Central and Eastern Europe.
An immortal visit
This is a historic moment. Never before has an American president paid an official visit to Poland twice in one year. This just shows to what level US-Polish relations have risen, this unique friendship between us. We are dealing with a huge commitment on the part of both our countries, and our interests are very closely intertwined
– said Mark Brzezinski.
The closeness of our relations is a result of the crisis we are facing. But he is not the only one influencing US-Poland relations. Certainly, our military cooperation has never been closer. There are currently more than 10,000 in Poland. US soldiers stationed in different parts of your country to ensure the security of NATO together with allies. Poles have done a fantastic job helping Ukrainian refugees and supporting Ukrainians who have remained in their country
– added.
Brzezinski impressed with the economy
The way the Polish economy is coping despite the great challenge associated with the conflict at the borders and the influx of a huge wave of refugees from Ukraine has not escaped Brzeziński’s attention.
Poland’s economy is thriving despite being right next to a war zone. American business knows very well that Poles are very hard-working, loyal colleagues and colleagues and they want to invest in the Polish market. We see how this cooperation develops, and this is also an extremely important dimension of the very close American-Polish friendship
an American diplomat complimented our economy.
Putin’s challenge
At the same time that President Biden will deliver his speech in Warsaw, Vladimir Putin will address delegates of the Council of the Russian Federation. Such a comparison could be a challenge to the Russian president, a clear signal that the United States is not giving up its presence in this part of the world. According to Brzeziński, the character differences between the two leaders are also significant.
Let’s compare both people. On the one hand, President Biden, who held together the multinational Democratic coalition. A coalition that collectively provides the collective defense and ensures that the crisis around Ukraine does not spread, in support of the invaded country and the pain-stricken Ukrainian people. The love of people and empathy that characterize Joe Biden are unparalleled. This was seen in March last year on the streets of Warsaw, in the National Stadium, where he met Ukrainian refugees. Joe Biden is the president of the people. And there is Putin
he pointed it out.
Putin attacked Ukraine. Did he do it to get Sweden and Finland to join NATO? Probably not. Did he do it so that the authorities of Poland and the United States would strengthen their cooperation? Probably not. Did he do it to get Europe to rearm and build defenses in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War?
he asked rhetorically.
The US ambassador regretted that, in his opinion, the chances of a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine had been clearly torpedoed by Putin. This is evidenced by the brutality and cruelty with which the Russian armed forces treat the population of the conquered territories and Putin’s political style, which can be called autocracy and dictatorship.
The tragedy is that any chance of a diplomatic solution has been thwarted by Putin, his relentless attacks, his endless shelling aimed at the invaded Ukrainians. Attacks on hospitals and schools continue. The atrocities committed by Russian soldiers in some Ukrainian cities are reminiscent of what happened during World War II. It’s disgraceful
he said.
America understands very well what is at stake. And what is at stake is the outcome of the clash between dictatorships and autocracies on the one hand and democracies on the other. We don’t want to leave our children a world where big and powerful states can bully smaller countries. This is the essence of the matter. Our support for Ukraine took different forms depending on the change in Russian tactics. (…) We will support Ukraine as long as it is necessary. As State Secretary Antony Blinken put it: if Russia loses, it will return to its geopolitical borders. If Ukraine loses the war, there will be no Ukraine
Brzezinski argued.
A lesson to be learned
Asked by the editor of “Super Express” about the lesson to be learned from these historic events, Mark Brzeziński stated that the main problem was reading Putin’s Russia’s intentions towards its neighbors. Ukraine must be supported in every possible way in its heroic struggle and cooperation in the reconstruction of the country must be planned.
We have misinterpreted Putin’s intentions and his attitude towards his neighbours. Russia would be much better off if her neighbors were less afraid of her. However, it isn’t. However, we have a situation where the Russian president has decided to attack a weaker neighbor for his own benefit. The lesson for the near future is that we must do everything we can to let the Ukrainians win. In the long term, we will work with the Ukrainians to rebuild their country and make it more resilient and strong in the future.
he assessed.
The conversation with the ambassador was also an opportunity for him to summarize the first year of his service in Poland. Brzeziński assured of his devotion and love for Poland, and also appreciated the opportunity to meet ordinary Poles in different places of our country, following Joe Biden’s political style.
I do my job here in Poland with passion. I just love Poland. Nevertheless, from the beginning I have tried to be as active, open and involved as possible in every corner of Poland and in relations with every social group it creates. From the beginning, I have tried to raise several issues that are important for US-Polish relations. And although it was a difficult year, although we had many visitors from America, including the President, Vice President and Congressmen, I tried to go outside Warsaw to visit cities such as: Białystok, Poznań, Wrocław, Szczecin, Przemyśl. I wanted to meet people and say on behalf of the President of the United States, “Thank you, I’m proud of you.” I believe the Poles deserve to hear it
said Brzezinski.
Summarizing the state of Polish-American relations and coordinating the activities of both governments at the diplomatic and organizational level, Brzeziński stressed that Poland and the United States were prepared and ready for what would happen on February 24, 2022.
Let us not forget that many months before February 24 of last year, President Biden made the decision to share classified intelligence with the leaders of the Baltic states, Poland and other countries bordering Ukraine. This data showed what the defensive and offensive structures of the Russian army look like and what the Russian leadership plans to do with Ukraine. So over a period of several months we were able to consult and engage our allies in this part of the world to collectively form a picture of what is to come. And what should we do to prepare for it. We had meticulously worked out the capacity and logistics of border crossings between Poland and Ukraine. On February 24, we and the Polish authorities were ready
he said.
An example is the November incident in Przewodów, where two Poles were killed by a stray missile. Together with the Polish authorities, we had previously studied scenarios of similar events and were developing an action plan should they occur. And that is what happened: the authorities of our countries have contacted each other at the presidential level, but also at the level of national security experts, defense and foreign ministers. We could jointly identify what happened in Przewodów, share this information with the right people and decide together how to involve NATO. It is the kind of disciplined cooperation that Putin fears. We were ready then, we are ready now
concluded the American ambassador.
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Source: wPolityce