Reset Episode 4: Poland, Kyiv, and the Western Road to Security

The fourth episode of the documentary series Reset broadens its lens beyond a fresh political moment, the Bucharest NATO summit, and unveils a new thread centered on Donald Tusk and his anti-presidential maneuvering. The filmmakers, Sławomir Cenckiewicz and Michał Rachoń, pull back the curtain on the backstage dynamics of talks among North Atlantic partners, Ukraine, and Georgia. They argue that Tusk’s circle, including figures like Jarosław Bratkiewicz, repeatedly pursued paths that unsettled a coherent Western strategy toward Russia. The program also foregrounds the persistent drive of the late President Lech Kaczyński to push Ukraine and Georgia toward deeper Western defense integration, a claim supported by declassified documents and recollections from figures such as Ron Asmus as well as participants Viktor Yushchenko and Giorgi Baramidze. Yet the narrative underscores the limits set by the government of that era, which at times appeared to curb the president’s initiatives. The Foreign Ministry allegedly arranged for a document from the Presidential Palace to be kept from the Prime Minister of Greece during the Bucharest gathering, while Kaczyński urged partners to back pro-Ukrainian and pro-Georgian positions. The documentary suggests a file once stored in a drawer hints at missed opportunities and alludes to other efforts to subordinate the president’s line to official government policy. In one instance, Tusk invoked the Polish Constitution in a 2018 court case, and the series recalls that the president altered official documents at Bucharest to facilitate eastern partners joining the alliance. The implication is clear: the presidency was drawn into the orbit of government decisions, with risks that Moscow could exploit a divided stance among Polish leaders. The episode sketches a broader political strategy in which a more assertive Polish stance might have steered the region’s security trajectory in Eastern Europe. The filmmakers propose that Lech Kaczyński’s vision, if fully realized by Polish authorities, could have changed the course of events in Georgia and Ukraine, reducing the likelihood of Moscow-driven aggression and reshaping Western risk assessments in the region. The documentary frames these moments as a test of national resolve and a struggle to counter Moscow’s narrative on Eastern Europe while urging Western capitals to stand firm against what is described as imperial ambitions. At the same time, the episode paints a portrait of Poland’s leadership’s internal maneuvering, with Sikorski and other ministers accused of withholding information and complicating Kaczyński’s efforts by playing politics with sensitive documents and strategic choices. The resulting tension is described as a defining moment in Polish statecraft, a moment where internal political currents intersected with national security interests and international alliances to shape Poland’s role on the world stage. The film ultimately portrays the pursuit of a more autonomous and principled foreign policy as a testament to national interest and to a belief in principled leadership in a volatile regional environment. The broader takeaway echoes a warning about the consequences of misaligned actions at pivotal moments in European security, urging readers to reexamine how history records a country’s stance toward Russia and its allies and to consider how present decisions might echo into the future. The narrative insists that a sober reckoning with the past is essential for understanding the present and for informing future policy choices. The documentary’s examination of these debates invites viewers to reflect on the balance between political pragmatism and national principle when navigating a landscape shaped by shifting power and alliances.