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SławomirDębski
astheUSSRislegalsuccessorandwouldhavelostitsplaceontheUN
SecurityCouncil.ForRussiatoassumetherightsassociatedwiththe
USSRintheUN,allremainingmembersoftheUNwouldhavetoconsent,
includingUkraine.Allthatwouldbeneededwasonedissentingvoteto
preventRussiafromhavingvetopowerintheSecurityCouncil.Itisdifficult
toimagineKyivacceptingRussiaisproposalwhileatthesametimebeing
underRussianpressureoverterritorialclaims.
WhenRussiawasrecognisedasthesuccessortotheUSSR,the
imperialisttraditionofviewingrelationswithformerSovietrepublicsas
internalRussianaffairswasrevivedinMoscow.Consequently,theWestern-
supportedemancipationistaspirationsofnewstateswithinthepost-Soviet
spacewereseeninRussiaasaviolationoftheprincipleofcooperation
basedontheEuropewholeandfreevision.Russiaispoliticalabout-face
beganinSeptember1993.DuringhisvisittoPolandinAugustofthat
year,RussianPresidentBorisYeltsindeclaredhisrecognitionofPolandis
aspirationforNATOmembershipasunderstandable:“inperspective,
thedecisionofsovereignPolandaimingforEuropeanintegrationisnot
contradictorywiththeinterestsofotherstates,includingRussia.”5
Threeweekslater,YeltsinissuedalettertotheleadersoftheUnited
States,France,theUK,andGermanyinwhichherescindedhisPoland
position.“Ingeneral,wepreferasituationwheretherelationsbetweenour
countryandNATOarebyseveraldegreeswarmerthanthosebetweenthe
AllianceandEasternEurope.”6RussiaproposedalsothatNATOandRussia
jointlyextendsecurityguaranteestothecountriesoftheregion,insteadof
themjoiningNATO.Thiswasacriticalmoment.DespiteWesternefforts,
Russiarejectedtheprincipleofsovereignstateequality.Atthesametime,
italsorejectedcooperationforEuropeanpoliticaldemocratisationinthe
spiritofthe“peacewithoutvictory”ideaofferedintheEuropewholeand
freevision.InsteadRussia,forthefirsttime,demandedareturntotheold
geopolitical,imperialschemes,reintroducingtheConcertofEuropeand
recognisingtheinequalityofEuropeanstates.
ThisishowKrzysztofSkubiszewski,formerPolishforeignminister
andaleadingarchitectofthepost-ColdWarEuropeanorder,readRussiais
intentions.On4October1993,hecommentedonRussiaisnewpostulates
assuch:
