On January 22, the new Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, arrived in Kyiv for negotiations.
This visit took place against a rather difficult background of deteriorating relations between the countries.
About whether it can be considered successful for both sides – in the column of the editor of “European Truth” Yury Panchenko Donald of a healthy person: what changed Prime Minister Tusk’s visit to Kyiv.
Donald Tusk, in order not to cause sharp tension within the Polish ruling coalition, was very careful in his statements and statements in Kyiv.
This caution was manifested, in particular, in the fact that both of the Polish Prime Minister’s press releases – together with President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal – did not foresee answers to journalists’ questions (Tusk answered the questions of Ukrainian students and university teachers only in the evening).
And this is understandable: while working to improve relations with Ukraine, the Polish prime minister is walking on too thin ice.
During a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Donald Tusk focused on Polish issues support in the war against the Russian Federationat the accession of Poland to the joint declaration of the “Group of Seven” agreed in Vilnius, as well as at the beginning of consultations on the conclusion of a bilateral security agreement.
All these are issues on which a consensus has been formed in Polish society for a long time, and it fully corresponds to the aspirations of Ukraine.
The meeting between the Ukrainian and Polish prime ministers became much more difficult.
After all, the emphasis during it was not on security, but on economic issues where there is considerable tension between Ukraine and Poland.
“We promised to make maximum efforts not to harm and support Polish farmers and transporters,” Denys Shmyhal is taking a step towards an understanding with Poland.
At the same time, Ukraine’s position remains unchanged: Kyiv expects that “Poland will take steps to remove restrictions for Ukrainian farmers and producers.” A possible compromise voiced by Denys Shmyhal consists in verifying the export of agricultural products in accordance with the decision of the European Commission.
“This mechanism is already working effectively with Romania and Bulgaria, and we propose to use it in our mutually beneficial relations,” Shmyhal summarizes.
In response, Donald Tusk avoids a clear answer to this proposal, noting only that Poland will appreciate the model proposed by Ukraine.
However, he expresses confidence that the parties will still manage to find a solution “that will benefit Polish and Ukrainian farmers and producers.”
For all the imprecision of this phrase, this position still directly contradicts the statements of the Polish Minister of Agricultural Policy Czeslaw Sekerski – and this one of the key breakthroughs current visit.
Similarly, Donald Tusk avoids specifics regarding the settlement of the situation with carriers.
The question arises: if the statements of the Polish Prime Minister were often vague, then on what basis can we talk about the success of this visit? What’s more, it can be the beginning of a reboot?
Donald Tusk proposed to change the format of relations – instead of talking about the “ungratefulness of Ukrainians”, which was too much under the government of Mateusz Moravetskyi, he proposes to find a mutually beneficial compromise and demonstrates readiness for dialogue on all problematic issues.
Obviously, this dialogue will not be easy. AND there is no guarantee that a compromise will be reached anytime soon.
However, there are no alternatives to this dialogue. And the fact that Kyiv and Warsaw recognize this gives hope for overcoming differences.
For more details, see Yuriy Panchenko’s column Donald of a healthy person: what changed Prime Minister Tusk’s visit to Kyiv.
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