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Poland's Foreign Affairs Minister Zbigniew Rau: "Our American allies did not find time to consult with the region most exposed to the consequences of that decision (on NS-2)".


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2021 Jun 13, 4:44pm   270 views  5 comments

by RWSGFY   ➕follow (4)   💰tip   ignore  

Jędrzej Bielecki: Poland has been strongly committed to blocking the construction of Nord Stream 2. However, on 19 May, US President Joe Biden decided not to impose sanctions on the consortium that is building the gas pipeline. There are now no impediments to the project’s completion. How did you learn about this?

Prof. Zbigniew Rau: From the media. Our American allies did not find time to consult with the region most exposed to the consequences of that decision.

Did you feel the same as on 17 September 2009, when, on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland, Barack Obama announced—without tipping off the Polish authorities—that elements of an anti-missile shield would not be built in our country?

I spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for the first time in January. He assured me that “nothing will be decided about you without you”. We agreed that the Polish-American strategic dialogue should be resumed urgently. In February and March, when rumours appeared about confidential US-German talks on NS2, we heard reassurances that no such discussions were taking place. We took note of these statements despite the fact that they contradicted what we knew from other sources. And here I am, reading the news about this week’s talks in Washington between Chancellor Merkel’s close associates and advisers to President Biden on the completion of Nord Stream 2. Such a format for American-Russian-German dialogue is no substitute for consultations between America and its allies on NATO’s eastern flank, who will be particularly affected by these decisions. After all, this gas pipeline will radically reinforce the common interests of Germany and Russia and will pose a direct threat to peace in Europe. The military threat to Ukraine, as well as to Poland and other NATO countries in Central Europe, will intensify.

How?

President Putin himself said in St. Petersburg that once Nord Stream 2 is completed, Ukraine would have to “show good will and behave itself”. We all know what it means when a Russian leader speaks this way. It is a threat. Politics should be based on today’s realities and not on wishful thinking. Russia is pursuing an aggressive policy towards its neighbours, a policy which resorts to armed assault, blackmail and threats. This decision will only reinforce its posture. As for the North Atlantic Alliance, it will come out weaker. That was Russia’s objective from the start with Nord Stream 1 and 2. These were projects aimed at disrupting Western unity. The German government got caught in this Russian trap and now the same is happening to the Biden administration. It will only lead to an escalation of Russia’s aggressive behaviour. In a few months, we will see the next round of the Russian military’s “Zapad” manoeuvres. They will give Russia an early opportunity to test the United States’ and Germany’s response. Who will then foot the bill for German and American errors? You don’t solve crises by refusing to pick up the phone...

Why did Biden make such a concession to the Kremlin and why did he not wait for the September Bundestag elections, which could install the Greens – a party much more sceptical of Nord Stream 2 than Chancellor Merkel – in the German government?

I think some of the assumptions behind that decision came from thinking which began to develop during the Bill Clinton administration. The overthrow of the Iron Curtain and the reunification of Germany was the biggest foreign policy success in US history. This success led America to believe that not the United Kingdom but a united Germany would be its main partner in Europe. The US reckoned that, together with the Federal Republic of Germany, it would now be “building a free world”. This is still a point of reference for the Democratic Party. Biden equates Europe with Germany. The problem is that in the case of Nord Stream 2, Germany has sacrificed the values and security interests of the free world for cooperation with Russia and its policy of aggression. And Russia wants to see the “free world” fail. Russia’s neighbours so far have not been mistaken about its intentions. Sadly. On the other hand, the Americans, Germans and French have been wrong on numerous occasions. Let me recall the historic speech of President Lech Kaczyński, who, together with other leaders of our region, warned the world against Russia’s aggression at Tbilisi’s Independence Square in August 2008. He said that Georgia would be followed by Ukraine, then the Baltic States, and finally perhaps Poland. The Obama administration ignored these warnings in 2009, and the Biden administration is turning a deaf ear today. It is easier for the Americans to talk to the Germans and the French, who won’t ask awkward questions and are willing to give the Americans the nod on Russia. The countries on NATO’s eastern flank would certainly be ready to give our American allies the benefit of their experience to help prevent further mistakes. And we would put it to them frankly: you’ve walked into a trap.

The Americans are not going to hold consultations with Poland ahead of the Biden-Putin Summit in Geneva on 16 June, are they?

But before that happens, we will have a NATO summit and a meeting between President Biden and EU leaders. This will be an opportunity to discuss how to offset the security deficit for NATO members that has been created by the Nord Stream 2 decision. However, routine Polish-American communications at an official level cannot be regarded as an appropriate format for discussing issues of fundamental importance to the region. Especially given the current provisional status of American representation in Warsaw and the continuing lack of a new US ambassador. We are talking about strategic issues that require consultations on a much higher level. Unfortunately, the US delegation traveling to Europe with President Biden has been so preoccupied with his meeting with Putin that they have not found time to arrange a meeting with their eastern flank allies. So there will be no Biden meeting with President Duda, either.

But there is more. Please recall that when we hosted the 2016 NATO summit in Warsaw, we arranged for Ukraine – a victim of Russian aggression – to attend as a special guest. This time, Ukraine’s president has not been invited. A few days ago, in an effort to save the day, President Biden invited President Zelenskyy to Washington. Even so, this visit will take place after the meeting with Putin. However, the proper sequence should be the reverse and result from a well-considered policy, not a mere face-saving operation. So here we have yet another mistake. In fact, we are dealing with a cascade of errors. All of which could have been avoided if consultations with allies had been taken seriously.
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https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/Minister-Zbigniew-Rau-gives-interview-to-Rzeczpospolita

Comments 1 - 5 of 5        Search these comments

1   RWSGFY   2021 Jun 13, 4:46pm  

Lying to allies, sucking Putin's dick.... What the fuck is going on here?
2   Ceffer   2021 Jun 13, 5:25pm  

Acronym time: DUSA: Destroying USA. Stops pipelines in USA, enables Russian pipelines in Europe. How many different ways can you destroy and marginalize USA? Let me count the ways.
3   mell   2021 Jun 13, 5:41pm  

It won't matter to leftoids. I don't mind NS2 that much but it's clear you got a lame duck (or foreign agent) here. I talked to a mostly leftoid buddy about the dire situation in Taiwan and china's threats of occupation and he was convinced xiden is doing a better job at deterring china than Trump did. I could not get a word of reason in , "oh yeah the US delegation just visited, situation much better now than under trump!". Don't know what they're smoking, leftoids live in a parallel universe.
4   Patrick   2021 Jun 13, 5:47pm  

They need to believe the lies or their whole world view will crumble and they will feel bad.

The only important thing for the left is that they never feel bad.

Trump made them feel bad.
5   PeopleUnited   2021 Jun 13, 8:16pm  

The media made them feel bad, and Trump was the scapegoat.

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