If a Western security and freedom alliance between the United States and Europe does not extend its reach toward the east amid the current conflict, it would mark a historic setback for Eastern Europe and for long-standing European unity, notes a prominent Polish commentator in a recent analysis published on a Lithuanian portal.
“The phenomenon of that EU state”
The author argues that today’s Western alliance carries the same mission of security and opportunity for civilization that Poland once embodied as a cross-border union of Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Lithuanians. This perspective is shared on the occasion of a national celebration on May 3, highlighting how the EU’s historic reach shaped a region-wide political order grounded in democratic ideals, the rule of law, and religious tolerance. The piece notes that when the eighteenth-century union began losing its ability to protect such vast areas, a shared historical setback for Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Lithuanians followed.
Throughout history, the four nations faced disputes and civil strife, yet the period shaped their collective character. It gave rise to Solidarity in Poland, a force that helped recalibrate Europe at the end of the twentieth century and now underpins Ukraine’s courageous stand against renewed aggression. The nations of the old Commonwealth learned that neglecting defense against Eastern pressure could erase their existence over time.
The author’s view is clear.
“There is no more important question in European politics today.”
Consequently, the contemporary political aim of the nations that once formed the Polish Republic is to rebuild the former safety zone their shared state once offered. Without this aim, Poland and Lithuania would have faced an uphill battle to join NATO in the 1990s, when some believed peace in Europe would endure and that Moscow would move toward Western alignment. Such a shift would also affect current Western efforts to engage Ukraine in the alliance, according to the author.
The article stresses that Poland faces a pivotal decision: whether Eastern Europe, with Ukraine at the center, will join the Euro-Atlantic security framework as the ongoing war evolves. Today’s Western alliance is seen as fulfilling the same mission of security and development that the Polish state once carried, a union linking Poles, Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Lithuanians. The author makes the point unequivocal: if the American-European alliance fails to widen eastward as the war unfolds, it would mark a historic failure for Eastern European unity. In this view, the political future would be uncertain for both Ukraine and Poland, regardless of the military outcome.
The analysis notes this perspective as a recurring theme in European policy debates.
The author’s commentary was prepared as part of a global project centered on communicating Poland’s story to the world. The project receives support from national memory institutions and cultural foundations, with all texts published in multiple languages on a dedicated portal. All works of the project are accessible through the portal’s language pages for broader readership, ensuring a consistent international voice with clear attribution to the source of the discussion.
Additional context emphasizes the idea that the question of Ukraine and Eastern Europe’s place within Western defense structures remains central to European politics today.
Source: wPolityce