Poland in the UK

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is an unprovoked act of aggression against a sovereign, democratic state. It has brought pain and suffering to millions of innocent people. But the Kremlin’s miscalculated attack has unintentionally prompted the best possible response: relentless, heartening Ukrainian resistance, an unprecedented show of solidarity from around the world, the awakening of many countries to the dangers posed by Vladimir Putin’s regime, and the strengthening of alliances – including the age-old partnership between Poland and the United Kingdom.

Our relationship dates back to the 11th century, but was consolidated in the heat of the Second World War. We first formalised our military alliance on the eve of the German invasion of Poland with the Agreement of Mutual Assistance, and it was reinforced during the war. Not only was Britain home to the Polish Armed Forces in the West, but also to the legitimate Polish state representation, which survived the war and the Soviet occupation.

We fought side by side in the Battle of Britain, which turned the tide of the war. “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,” said Sir Winston Churchill, describing the defenders of British skies. And our cooperation was evident in many other areas, including intelligence sharing – a crucial factor in the success of Ukraine’s defence today. Polish cryptologist Marian Rejewski broke the Enigma code 90 years ago and, with his colleagues, passed their work to Alan Turing, laying the foundations for the mass code-breaking effort at Bletchley.

This Polish-British cooperation has become even stronger in modern times. After Poland toppled the communist regime and regained its sovereignty, it soon joined Nato, signing bilateral defence deals with the UK – including the 2017 treaty, at the time only the second such treaty that Britain had with a European Union member state. Our two countries also served together in military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and as part of Nato’s Enhanced Forward Presence.

The strength of our bilateral alliance has perhaps been demonstrated best over the past year, with the UK deploying military personnel to Poland – first to help stop the migration crisis orchestrated by Putin’s accomplice Alexander Lukashenko, and then to shore up Nato’s eastern flank against Russian aggression. And now, a new chapter in our relationship begins.

Last week, as the situation in Ukraine became increasingly grave, Polish President Andrzej Duda met Boris Johnson in London. The two agreed to deepen cooperation between our armed forces, intelligence organisations and defence industries. We will increase our militaries’ exercises, step up work to counter cyber threats and disinformation, and deepen the defence strategy and security threat analysis cooperation. We will boost bilateral trade through high-level intergovernmental dialogue and a new expert task force. Crucially, we will work to facilitate the delivery of lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine. The UK will also increase financial aid to help support Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

Poland and the UK, along with other European states, are demonstrating leadership in their support for Ukraine. Today, the Polish, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian presidents travelled to Kyiv to show solidarity with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people. It followed a visit by the Polish, Czech and Slovenian prime ministers last month, which conveyed the EU’s unequivocal support.

Meanwhile, in Kyiv last Saturday, Mr Johnson said the Ukrainians had shown the courage of a lion and that Mr Zelensky was its roar. The Prime Minister went on to pledge extra military assistance to the besieged country.

Ukraine is not alone. Russia’s brutal attack has demonstrated the worst and best of humanity. Most importantly, it has emphasised our solidarity with innocent people in times of suffering. For Poland and Britain, this solidarity means closer ties than ever. For Europe and Nato, it means unity. For Ukraine, it means hope amid an unimaginable tragedy. We will not cease until Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are restored. Slava Ukraini!

Piotr Wilczek is the Polish Ambassador to the UK

Original article