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PeacewithoutVictory
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PolandispursuittojoinNATOispartofourpolicy…Itisapolicyof
linkingwithWesterndefenceandsecurityorganisations,making
themtoalargerextentEuropeanthroughPolandisparticipation,
insteadof—asthusfar—maintainingonlytheirWestern
character.ThedivisionofEuropewillbedifferent.Thispolicy
correspondstothemostvitalinterestsofPoland,tomaintaining
itshard-wonindependence—wewillnotgiveupthispolicy.…
JustaswewillbeopposedtoisolatingRussia,weequallyreject
theplacementofPolandinabufferorgreyzonebetweenWest
andEast.TheideaofRussianguaranteesleadstosuchazone,
oneofimminentdependence.Thereisnomentionoftheminthe
Wałęsa-Yeltsindeclaration.Wealreadyhadbadexperienceswith
suchguarantees—inthe18thcenturybeforethepartitions,andin
the20thcenturyinTehranandYalta.Ourpolicyisanindependence
policywithintheframeworkofEuro-Atlanticsecurity.7
Fromthenon,Russiahasmadeconscientiousattemptstoabatethe
integrationprocessesofEuropeanstatesbydemandingdifferentiated
membershipstatusfornewmembers.ItdemandedthatNATOrefrain
fromdeployingmoreseriousforcesinnewmemberstates.Itattempted
togain“compensation”fromtheEUinexchangeforeasternexpansion.
Itopposedthepro-EuropeanaspirationofelitesinGeorgia,Moldova,
andUkraine.Finally,inordertohalttheaspirationsofformerSoviet
republicsfromgainingthefull-fledgedcommunitystatusofamember
buildingEuropewholeandfree,Russiausedmilitarystrengthagainst
Moldovain1992,Georgiain2008,andUkrainein2014.Bytheseactions,
RussiabrokefundamentalEuropeanpeacenormsagreeduponinthe
HelsinkiFinalActoftheCSCEin1975,the1990ParisCharterfortheNew
Europe,the1994BudapestMemorandum,andawholeseriesofbilateral
understandings.
AftertheaggressionagainstUkrainein2014,Putinopenlydeclared
thatRussiafindsitselfinawarwiththeWest.Duringhisremarksat
a2014conferenceinValdai,heblamedtheWestforforcinguponRussians
theirvalues“insteadofestablishinganewbalanceofpower,essential
