In relation to the TVP film titled “Reset,” this piece revisits the sequence of events that illustrate a policy of rapprochement with Russia amid Poland’s anti-missile shield discussions.
2004 – in the United States, experts begin evaluating the concept of a European anti-missile shield.
August 2006 – prompted by Vladimir Putin, Russia signs a contract with Germany to build the Nord Stream I pipeline.
2006 – American diplomats conduct consultations in Poland about the shield and propose negotiations on the topic.
March 2007 — at the Munich Security Conference, Vladimir Putin asserts Russia’s right to its interests and sphere of influence in Europe, urging Western states to recognize them.
May 9, 2007 – Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński signs the Negotiation Instructions to conduct talks with the United States on the shield, arguing that the shield would neutralize Russia’s advantages in missile capability from a Polish vantage point.
July 2007 – Putin announces Russia’s stance to not comply with the treaty on conventional forces in Europe.
November 2007 – Donald Tusk becomes Prime Minister of Poland, with Deputy Minister Witold Waszczykowski continuing as the government’s plenipotentiary for shield negotiations.
April 2008 – at a NATO summit, U.S. President George W. Bush and Polish President Lech Kaczyński push for Georgia and Ukraine to gain NATO membership; the effort stalls due to a Franco-German veto.
June 2008 – negotiations with the United States on the shield reach a conclusion; the text is prepared and approved by the president and the prime minister, yet after regional talks, Poland hesitates to sign an agreement on installing the shield on Polish soil.
July 4, 2008 – Prime Minister Donald Tusk announces on Poland’s National Day that Poland is not pursuing the installation of the U.S. shield. President Lech Kaczyński views Russia as a distinct threat and sees the shield as a path to stronger bilateral ties with the United States.
Prime Minister Tusk, echoed by Berlin politicians, regards Russia as a European partner and argues that the shield is unnecessary and might heighten the risk to Poles. He explains this stance as the outcome of conversations with Russian officials.
August 2008 – Russia’s aggression against Georgia.
November 2008 – U.S. elections bring a change of administration. The new democratic leadership prioritizes internal reforms and winding down operations in Afghanistan, signaling a reset in relations with Russia. The aim shifts from global leadership to strategic control and arms restraint to fund domestic reforms.
December 3, 2008 – the European Commission adopts the Eastern Partnership concept, offering financial support and cooperation with Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. The initiative is framed as cooperation rather than a path to EU membership, emphasizing stabilization of economic ties rather than Westernization.
March 2009 – Vice President Biden, speaking on behalf of the U.S. President at the Munich Security Conference, endorses a reset in U.S.–Russia relations.
This pivot is welcomed by France and Germany, which have pursued rapprochement with Russia since the New Europe Charter signed in Paris in 1990. Western European nations increasingly cooperate with Russia across energy, industry, foreign policy, and even military areas, fueling a perception of a Paris-Berlin-Moscow axis and a view that U.S. presence in Europe might be less essential because Russia is a partner rather than a threat.
September 1, 2009 – President Lech Kaczyński organizes Westerplatte commemorations and urges leaders to remember the 50 million World War II victims, stressing the need to defend peace and resist imperialism.
April 2010 – the death of President Lech Kaczyński and the accompanying delegation to Smolensk.
September 8, 2010 – Jarosław Kaczyński, then president of PiS, urges Western leaders to resist Russian threats.
2011 – commissioning of the Nord Stream I pipeline.
2014 – Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
2015 – Vice President Biden addresses the Munich Security Conference, declaring the end of the reset with Russia and urging Western European nations to adopt a tougher stance. Western European countries, however, largely maintain their approach toward Russia, pursuing closer ties despite the warning.
2016 – President Obama approves the deployment of 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland, signaling stronger NATO deterrence on Poland’s eastern flank and sending a message to Russia and to Europe’s major powers.
2017 – U.S. troops remain stationed in Poland, reinforcing regional security commitments.
The timeline above was first outlined in an article titled “The Rise and Fall of the Reset Policy,” published May 9, 2022 in the weekly publication Sięci.
Additional context: commentary surrounding the NATO summit in Vilnius emphasizes that meaningful support for Ukraine requires realistic goals and pragmatic measures.
Source: wPolityce