The freedom of Ukraine and Poland is interdependent, and Ukraine’s membership in the European Union and NATO is impossible without Warsaw’s support. This was stated by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum and Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2014 to 2016, during an online address at the panel discussion ‘There is no free Poland without a free Ukraine’ at the conference of the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce.
“Poland is free because Ukraine is free. And Ukraine is free and fighting for its freedom because Poland is free. And if we help one another, and Poland stands by Ukraine, as it has done since the very first days of Russian aggression, then Ukraine will prevail,” he emphasised.
Yatsenyuk noted that there must be an honest conversation between allies about existing historical issues, and condemned the exchange of order revocations in relations between the two countries. “I was extremely disappointed by the decision of the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, to revoke the order awarded to the Ukrainian President. And Volodymyr Zelenskyy had no other option but to return this order. But one wrong decision cannot be rectified by other wrong decisions. And so, when my close Ukrainian friends began returning Polish orders, and then the Poles began returning Ukrainian orders, I condemned these order revocations,” the KSF Chairman recalled.
Yatsenyuk described mutual respect as the foundation of the alliance between the two nations. “This is the foundation not merely of our co-existence, but of our alliance,” he remarked.
The Chairman of the KSF identified the establishment of a special mechanism between the two countries as the key means of resolving historical issues. “I do not see a solution through political acts. Various political forces come to power in our countries, and they capitalise on tragedies, drama and even crimes. I propose that Ukraine and Poland conclude an intergovernmental agreement on the creation of a special legal mechanism to investigate crimes against Poles and Ukrainians. Crimes have names. The victims have names. Politicians have slogans. And we need to ensure justice is done,” Yatsenyuk emphasised.
He also highlighted the economic potential of deeper cooperation between the two countries. “Ukraine will not be able to become a member of the EU and NATO without Poland’s support. Ukraine and Poland’s combined exports amount to 90 billion dollars. Our efforts to unite could double the export potential of both countries. The same applies to the defence industry – cooperation between Poland and Ukraine in the manufacture of weapons will yield an incredible economic benefit for both countries,” concluded the KSF Chairman.