Poland proposes “new platform of dialogue” to Russia as foreign ministers meet in Moscow

Poland’s foreign minister, Zbigniew Rau, has met with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow for talks focusing on tensions around Ukraine. Rau said he had presented the Kremlin with a “new initiative for dialogue” that he hopes can mitigate the “deep security crisis” facing Europe.

Rau’s trip to Moscow is the first by a Polish foreign minister in almost ten years, and came after he had first visited Ukraine last week. Poland has been led since late 2015 by the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which sees Russia as a major security threat.

Before Rau’s departure, his ministry emphasised that he was visiting Russia as chair of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), of which Poland currently holds the rotating chairmanship. Russia is also one of the OSCE’s 57 participating states.

“The key topic of the talks for me, as OSCE chairman, was the state of European security, which is in deep crisis,” said Rau, speaking alongside Lavrov following their meeting. “The situation around Ukraine remains extremely tense and is in danger of an even more serious escalation.”

“The Polish presidency of the OSCE is taking all measures to prevent it and reduce the current tension,” continued Rau, quoted by TVP Info. “In this spirit, we proposed an initiative for a new dialogue on European security…to reduce the risk of confrontation and to strengthen stability.”

This would be an “informal platform for open political discussion and cooperation between OSCE states…which would allow the discussion of proposals to strengthen the effectiveness of mechanisms to prevent crises, such as the present one,” explained the Polish foreign minister.

“We have no illusions, however, that to keep our commitments and end this crisis permanently, it will be necessary to restore the spirit of compromise and constructive involvement of all parties to the talks,” he added. “We are counting on the substantive contribution of the Russia side.”

“Dialogue is the best way to deal with difficult matters,” concluded Rau. “I sincerely hope that Russia shares this point of view. The only way out of the current crisis is diplomacy.”

For his part, Lavrov claimed that Moscow was keen to “rebuild the culture of mutual respect within the OSCE”, as opposed to the “aggressive rhetoric and confrontational approach that [currently] fill our common space”.

“Above all,” added the Russian foreign minister, “this requires an approach of avoiding actions that would guarantee the safety of some at the expense of others”, reports TVP.

“Our colleagues in the West are trying to put forward that every state has the right to choose allies,” he continued. “[But] the point is that you cannot do this at the expense of others’ security.”

Ahead of Rau and Lavrov’s meeting, Polish deputy foreign minister Paweł Jabłoński told Polskie Radio that they “do not have high hopes” that diplomacy alone can be effective against a “very aggressive” Russia. “A parallel path of sanctions and deterrence” must also be undertaken, said Jabłoński.

Throughout the ongoing crisis around Ukraine, Poland has voiced strong support for its eastern neighbour. At the start of this month, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited Kyiv to “express solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who are currently threatened by Russia”.

Ahead of his trip, Morawiecki condemned Russia’s “neo-imperialist” ambitions. His government has pledged to supply Ukraine with “defensive” ammunition, including shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles and drones.

Meanwhile, the US has bolstered its military presence in Poland with the arrival of thousands of new troops as well as F-16 fighter jets. Poland has also been putting in place preparations for a potential influx of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees in the event of war.

Main image credit: Sebastian Indra/MSZ/PLinOSCE

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.