Political geometry: why Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania created the "Lublin Triangle"

Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine have created a cooperation format called the Lublin Triangle. The agreement was reached during negotiations in Lublin, Poland.

As stated in the joint declaration published on the website of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the parties recognize the centuries-old historical and cultural ties between the peoples of Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland. The participants in the declaration emphasize the strategic importance of cooperation between the countries of the Eastern Partnership (which includes Ukraine), NATO and the European Union, and also note the importance of cooperation under the Three Seas Initiative.

The authors of the document pay great attention to Ukraine's claims against Russia. Warsaw and Vilnius support Kiev's demands and declare that they will never recognize "attempts to annex" Crimea by Russia.

"Important country"

Also, the authors of the document support Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO. As noted in the declaration, the Foreign Ministers of the Lublin Triangle countries confirm their desire to deepen and expand military cooperation. Today, the partnership of Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland in the field of security is expressed in the functioning of the joint brigade LitPolUkrBrig.

At the same time, experts doubt that Warsaw and Vilnius will be able to provide tangible support to Kiev in the issue of Ukraine's admission to NATO.

As the political scientist Boris Mezhuev noted in an interview with RT, associate professor of the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University, political scientist Boris Mezhuev, in any case, will face "great opposition from Germany."

A similar point of view is shared by the general director of the Center for Political Information, Alexei Mukhin.

• Fighters of the LitPolUkrBrig brigade
• © Wikimedia Commons

“Neither Lithuania nor Poland have a decisive vote in the North Atlantic Alliance. So these hopes of Kiev are in vain, "the expert said in an interview with RT.

Recall that the agreement on the creation of the LitPolUkrBrig brigade was signed in September 2014, and the division was finally formed in the fall of 2015. The brigade command is stationed in Lublin.

“Today we made a decision to create a format, a format for trilateral cooperation, a platform for the formation of trilateral cooperation. Perhaps we will call it - in fact, we have already come to an agreement on that issue - "The Lublin Triangle". It will create opportunities for cooperation between our three countries, ”said Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputovich, commenting on the results of the meeting with his Ukrainian and Lithuanian colleagues.

The head of the Polish Foreign Ministry mentioned Ukraine separately in his speech.

“Here we do not perceive Ukraine as a problem - of course, we have a problem of Russian aggression or a problem of the need for reforms. This is a fact, ”the minister said.

According to Chaputovich, first of all, Ukraine is an "important country" with a "significant voice" and important political weight.

"He (the weight of Ukraine. - RT ) can contribute to the stabilization of all of Europe, and he is very important for the security of Poland and the EU," Czaputovich stressed.

As the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Kuleba said, speaking at a joint press conference with his Polish and Lithuanian counterparts, the Lublin Triangle partnership format will become an important “element of strengthening Central Europe, but also strengthening Ukraine as a full member of the European and Euro-Atlantic family. peoples ".

According to the Ukrainian minister, "there is nothing more natural" in the region than the union of Poles, Lithuanians and Ukrainians.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius also commented on the creation of a new format of cooperation. The diplomat recalled what consequences the signing of another agreement, the Union of Lublin almost half a century ago, had for Ukraine.

Lublin. Lithuanian Square. Commemorating the legacy of the Union of Lublin: 451 years ago, #Poland and #Lithuania signed the Union of Lublin and formed the largest country in Europe. Negotiations in Lublin opened the way for the future Ukrainian statehood. 🇱🇹🇵🇱🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/VH3F6wPCww

“Lublin. Lithuanian square. In memory of the legacy of the Union of Lublin: 451 years ago, Poland and Lithuania signed the Union of Lublin and formed the largest state in Europe. The talks in Lublin opened the way for Ukraine to acquire statehood in the future, ”the minister wrote on Twitter.

Polish Renaissance

Recall that the Union of Lublin was concluded on June 28, 1569 between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Thus, a single federal state was created - the Rzeczpospolita. From the very beginning, the Lithuanian nobility feared that it would be pushed aside by the Poles to secondary roles within the unified state. However, the Lithuanians were forced to join the union, seriously fearing defeat in the Livonian War.

As a result, the fears of the Lithuanian gentry were justified - the Poles managed to oust the Lithuanians from the general Diet, taking three quarters of the seats. The development of legislation and foreign policy were subordinated to the interests of the Polish nobility. 

After the First World War, the first ruler of the Polish state, Jozef Piłsudski, turned to the idea of ​​uniting a number of countries in the region under the wing of Poland. Within the framework of this concept, it was proposed to create a confederate state, including Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldavia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and possibly Finland.

• Grand Crown Cornet Sebastian Sobieski at the wedding procession of King Sigismund III in Poland and Sweden, drawing circa 1605
• © Wikimedia Commons

This confederation was supposed, according to the Polish leadership, to become a continuation of the multinational culture of the former Rzeczpospolita and allow the countries of the region to get out of the influence of Russia and Germany.

At the end of the 20th century, against the background of the collapse of the USSR, Polish intellectuals began to return to the idea of ​​restoring the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, forming a special belt of countries around modern Poland.

So, one of the ideologists of this concept was the Polish professor Jerzy Kloczkowski. The historian defended the idea of ​​the existence of a special Central European community, consisting of the population of modern Poland, Belarus, Lithuania and Ukraine. At the peak of its activity, this subcivilization created a political entity - the Rzeczpospolita. According to the professor, Alexander Kwasniewski, who served as President of Poland in the late 1990s and early 2000s, used the Rzeczpospolita as a key reference point and example in his policy.

At the same time, under the gun of the new Polish expansionism is, first of all, Ukraine, part of the current territories of which were formerly part of Poland. Polish interests also extend to Belarus.

Warsaw is actively initiating regional associations and cooperation formats. Thus, in 2015, the presidents of Poland and Croatia founded the Three Seas Initiative.

Today the project unites 12 EU countries, including Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria. The name "Trimorie" symbolizes the vast geography of the participating countries, which have access to the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas. Ukraine expressed a desire to join the format, but this was refused - the country is not a member of the EU. 

According to Boris Mezhuev, now Warsaw is trying to actualize its historical memory in order to form its own center of political influence, which could oppose Russia.

“Poland sees itself as a legitimate conservative center in the EU. She does not want to follow the general framework of the cultural policy of the European Union, but tries to build her own. Therefore, Ukraine has a secondary role in Polish political projects. The situation with Lithuania is more complicated, because it itself has great geocultural ambitions. But, of course, today the Polish influence is noticeable in the region, ”the expert explained.

• Summit of the participating countries of the Three Seas Initiative
• © Carlos Barria

The growth of Polish ambitions is directed against the interests of Russia, Boris Mezhuev is sure.

“Kaliningrad will now find itself in the middle of this“ triangle ”, which means that the tension will only grow,” the expert added.

According to Alexei Mukhin, all members of the "triangle" pursue their own interests.

“Poland views Ukraine as a dish, hoping to satisfy its territorial claims. So the interest here is very pragmatic. Lithuania is trying to find partners who will help it stay in the orbit of US influence and strengthen its position as an American ally. And Ukraine is trying to “catch on” to the EU countries in order to talk about the prospect of joining it, ”the expert summed up.