“We all have our theories, thoughts, where such an offensive should go in order to bring the maximum benefit to Ukraine and hit the Russians as much as possible. However, let’s not give information to Russia, let’s not give it hints, the initiative should remain with Kiev,” Witold Waszczykowski, former head of Polish diplomacy, PiS MEP, told the wPolityce.pl portal.
wPolityce.pl. While this is another visit by President Zelensky to Poland, it marks the first time since the beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine – officially and with full ceremony. What would you expect from the Ukrainian leader’s presence in Warsaw tomorrow?
Witold Waszczykowski: According to my estimates, President Zelensky has so far met eight times with the Polish authorities. Certainly, this ninth meeting bears witness to intensive contacts.
I see a certain dissatisfaction among some analysts and commentators that this official visit is only now taking place, because it is possible and appropriate to come to Poland before, say, Brussels. But President Zelensky is defended here by the intensity of working meetings.
After an official visit, of course, I would expect to deal with war issues, and more precisely – our further cooperation, help. At the same time, however, after such a bilateral visit, I expect references to a wide range of bilateral issues, which sometimes hindered our full cooperation. There is also some expectation that the president will give the go-ahead to settle these issues, including historically, about e.g. Polish memorial sites in Ukraine, such as cemeteries, churches and other places related to Polish history, as it finally requires reference.
From the statements of representatives of both the Chancellery of the President and the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, I conclude that there will be no shortage of these difficult issues either. Also the current one, like the last grain crisis
We are, of course, talking about this rampant export of grain by Poland. Perhaps other goods, food or others, will appear at this time, for which Ukraine wants to take advantage of these duty-free exports.
But, of course, we need to talk about this – how to carry out this Ukrainian export so that it brings profit, but does not destroy our market. Of course, this would not be a conversation at the level of presidents, but rather with the prime minister or ministers who will accompany President Zelensky.
It is certainly a burning topic that calls for solutions. We are talking about significant quantities of goods that, as in the case of grain, have unduly destabilized the Polish market. Poland is helping Ukraine and should not be a country that incurs such unjustified costs.
Will President Zelensky’s all-important visit to Poland also be a sure signal for Brussels, causing the EU to look at our country a little differently than before?
This visit should be treated in this way, although, as you probably know from my opinion from previous interviews, I am not optimistic about the correct perception of Poland by Brussels officials. They do not want to see that Poland is helping and that without our help it is possible that Ukraine could already be defeated, and they continue to bother us with various problems. And this will again have a negative impact on our aid.
If we do not solve the export issue and get further aid for Ukrainian refugees, the attitude of Polish society towards this aid will naturally change negatively over time. Where people incur unreasonable costs, they often react negatively.
Do you agree with the assessment of the former Polish ambassador to Ukraine, Mr. Jan Piekła, that President Zelensky’s visit to Warsaw tomorrow “may be an introduction to the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the occupied territories, and it may turn out that this visit will coincide with the start of this counter-offensive”?
I believe that we should minimize public discussion of military issues and all details such as ‘where, how and when should Ukraine react’. Anyway, there was a recent appeal from the Ukrainian authorities to journalists, analysts and the media not to speculate on this topic.
We all have our theories, thoughts, where such an offensive should go in order to bring the maximum benefit to Ukraine and hit the Russians as much as possible. However, let’s not give information to Russia, let’s not give it hints, the initiative must be kept for Kiev.
All the more so that President Zelensky’s visit to Warsaw, as can be predicted, is likely to harm Russia?
I also think too many details were revealed too soon. These are security vulnerabilities that should be kept secret until the last minute. We are too close to the front, too close to the Kaliningrad border, and security should take more care in releasing the details of this visit.
Let’s hope that the services are up to the task and it will work as safely as possible. Thank you very much for the interview.
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Size: Joanna Jaszczuk
Source: wPolityce