{"id":59947,"date":"2024-01-09T10:43:12","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T09:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/?p=59947"},"modified":"2024-01-16T16:38:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T15:38:14","slug":"poland-and-germany-goals-and-policies-public-discussion-warsaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/en\/poland-and-germany-goals-and-policies-public-discussion-warsaw\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Poland and Germany Align their Russia Policies?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Ma\u0142gorzata Kosiura-Ka\u017amierska, Agnieszka Bryc, Ambas\u00adsador Elbling and Ralf F\u00fccks (left to right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Ma\u0142gorzata Kosiura-Ka\u017amierska, Agnieszka Bryc, Ambas\u00adsador Elbling and Ralf F\u00fccks (left to right)<\/em><\/p>\n

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For many years, Poland and Germany pursued different policies regarding Russia and Ukraine. While Warsaw advocated harsher sanctions against Moscow and more support for Kyiv, Berlin was tradi\u00adtionally more reluctant. Despite Zeiten\u00adwende<\/em>, differ\u00adences linger. Can the two countries synchronize their approach? This was the essence of our recent public discussion in Warsaw, held jointly with the Foundation for Polish-German Cooper\u00adation<\/a>.<\/h2>\n

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[\/vc_column_text][vc_message]The discussion took place after a meeting of our Expert Network Russia at the Polish Institute for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Warsaw. Click here<\/a> to read the report about the meeting and here<\/a> to read more from the Expert Network!<\/p>\n

[\/vc_message][vc_column_text]After nearly two years of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Putin regime shows resilience to political and economic pressure, dashing hopes that the war would end soon. Because of this, the Polish panelists were adamant that the West needs to do more. \u201cWe can change the situation overnight if we are committed\u201d, Polish Foreign Ministry official Ma\u0142gorzata Kosiura-Ka\u017amierska said. She added that the West needs to show that it is more deter\u00admined than Russia and that Poland and Germany were the crucial countries to do that: \u201cLet\u2019s just lead by example!\u201d she demanded.<\/p>\n

German Ambas\u00adsador Viktor Elbling defended the German government\u2019s policies and dismissed criticism from the audience that despite Chancellor Olaf Scholz\u2019 Zeiten\u00adwende Berlin was doing too little, too late. He argued that German aid to Ukraine was \u201csubstantial\u201d and that Berlin and Warsaw were on the same page when it comes to helping Kyiv.<\/p>\n

Thus, it was LibMod director Ralf F\u00fccks who criti\u00adcized the Scholz\u2019 formula \u201cRussia must not win and Ukraine must not lose\u201d. The ongoing German ambiguity with regard of the outcome of the war reflects fear of escalation and mistrust in our own abilities, he argued. German military support for Ukraine remains restricted by fear. \u201cIf we send (such) a message of weakness in this conflict we will send a message to autoc\u00adracies all over the world\u201d, F\u00fccks warned.<\/p>\n

Agnieszka Bryc, a prominent Polish inter\u00adna\u00adtional relations expert, called for a strategy of deter\u00adrence and for clear signals that the West will talk only to a regime other than Putin\u2019s. \u201cWe should not be afraid of Russia\u2019s desta\u00adbi\u00adlization, because only a crisis can bring about change,\u201d she stressed, a viewpoint that is widespread in the Polish foreign policy community.<\/p>\n

Bryc also said that Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine has increased the political weight of the Eastern countries within Europe. Whether this will enable Warsaw to effec\u00adtively influence policy\u00admakers in Berlin remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

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