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Poland deepens servitude to Washington in delusional bid to attain great power status.
Written by Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher
In preparation for the expected Ukrainian spring offensive, Poland announced on May 8 that it had transferred 10 MiG-29 fighter jets to Kiev. Following Kiev’s plea for fighter jets, Poland became the first country to make the pledge and transferred four in April. In this way, it is evident that Poland is becoming a staging ground for providing military aid to Ukraine. Warsaw wants to show the US that it is a faithful partner in serving its hostile policies and actions against Russia.
Warsaw is also pumping Ukraine with weapons and is sending Polish mercenaries to battle on the frontlines. According to Polish media, Warsaw delivered military aid to Kiev worth around 2.2 billion euros as of February 2023. In addition, Poland is developing a military infrastructure for storing NATO equipment, and the US military presence is increasing in the country.
Poland dreams of restoring its status as a great country and a major power in Europe, something it was for a very short period over four hundred years ago. However, Poland’s delusions of grandeur have always been linked with wanting to destroy Russian civilisation. For this reason, throughout Poland’s history, they searched for another power that could help destroy Russia – in the 17th century, it was Lithuania; in other periods, it was Britain, France, and Sweden, and today it is the US.
Each foreign power has suffered defeat each time. Still, the Poles, likely out of frustration that they could never achieve great power status, now believe that the US is their best choice for opposing Russia and elevating its status. Due to this, Poland has become a stronghold of American influence in Europe and a military staging ground in which weapons are delivered to Ukraine.
Poland today serves as the most important logistical centre for the delivery of military aid to the Ukrainians by the West. However, Poland has only become a tool of American policy because Warsaw is a subjective player in these situations. The US does not believe in equitable relationships, except perhaps only with other Anglo powers, and for this reason, Poland has only become a puppet despite their intentions to show the Americans that they are their loyal friends and essential in the NATO bloc.
Poland is one of the most active supporters of Ukraine and one of the largest donors of military equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, even though the Far-Right Kiev regime has a long history of opposing and pressuring the Polish minority in the country. Specifically, Poland has delivered 250 tanks to Kiev and plans to deliver another 60 RT-91 tanks (Poland’s modernised version of the T-72), 14 German Leopard 2 tanks and about 100 Wolverine armoured personnel carriers.
Polish authorities have also handed over Soviet self-propelled artillery units “Gvozdika”, multi-barrel BM-21 “Grad” missile systems (MLRS), anti-aircraft missile systems 9K33 “Osa” and S-125 “Neva”, as well as self-propelled howitzers “Krab”, along with a large amount of ammunition for various types of weapons to Kiev. In addition, Polish authorities intend to deploy infrastructure in the country to maintain American Abrams tanks.
Provocations by Poland is not only reduced to militarily opposing Russia but also involves cheap stunts, such as disrupting Victory Day celebrations. Protesters blocked the path of Russia’s ambassador to Poland on May 9 when he tried to place a wreath at a Warsaw memorial to Soviet soldiers who defeated the Nazis in World War II.
The Polish government was informed in advance of the ambassador’s plan to visit the Red Army cemetery and memorial site but made no effort to ensure his safety so that he could pay his respects.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the incident demonstrates “the duplicity of Warsaw’s policy in assessing the events of World War II and trying to forget about the role of our nation in saving European countries enslaved by Nazi Germany,” adding that the incident “will not remain without a proper reaction.”
At the same time, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland said following her meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Poland, Mariusz Błaszczak, that they “discussed how to continue holding Russia accountable for its illegal and barbaric invasion, including through further sanctions and using frozen Russian assets to pay for the rebuilding of Ukraine.”
Effectively, the pair discussed how they could use frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine, something which will have considerable repercussions for Canada and Poland, especially when noting that as of the end of 2022, about $330 million of Russian assets were frozen in Canada.
It is demonstrated that Poland is making everything effort to oppose, pressure and antagonise Russia, as it has done for centuries, and this will continue unrelentingly so long as the US emboldens the country.
