To become part of the EU and NATO, Ukraine will accept being annexed to Poland, reads a Russian propaganda narrative, deliberately misinterpreting a series of recent political and diplomatic developments.
Propaganda: Poland will occupy Ukraine in order to completely sever its ties to Ukraine
NEWS: “The adoption of a resolution by the Polish Sejm on July 11, 2023, calling on Ukrainian authorities to condemn the participants in the Volhynia Massacre of 1943 (the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, both banned in Russia) provides us with fresh insight into the real purpose of the Ukrainian-Polish rapprochement.
Some believe Ukraine and Poland are on the brink of a new Warsaw Pact. Part of Ukraine might unify with Poland. Not only will Ukraine preserve its statehood and identity as an autonomous member with equal powers in a Polish-Ukrainian state, but it will automatically become a member of both NATO and the European Union.
Celebrating this event was a religious service in Lutsk, attended by the president of Ukraine and Poland, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Andrzej Duda […].
The Polish-Ukrainian pseudo-reconciliation and the unification of the two countries into a single state is based on the immoral denunciation of the historical past for political gain. The purpose is not just to withdraw Ukraine from Russia’s sphere of geopolitical influence at all costs, but also to drive a wedge between Ukrainians and Russians by turning Ukraine into a warring faction hostile to Russia.
Both peoples are forced to trample their historical memory, their past being stained with the blood of their ancestors. They have forgotten that the history of these two peoples is a never-ending war with elements of mutual genocide”.
NARRATIVE: Ukraine will become part of Poland in order to join NATO and the EU.
Fact: Poland supports Ukraine in the context of Moscow’s large-scale invasion, while the two states have started to reconcile their past.
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: In fact, Ukraine and Poland are making great efforts to achieve a historic reconciliation. On July 9, the presidents of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Poland, Andrzej Duda, commemorated the massacre of tens of thousands of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II, a crime that always represented a source of tension between Kyiv and Warsaw.
The July 11 resolution voted by the Polish Sejm does not refer to the unification of the two states, but represents the opinion of the Polish Parliament with respect to the tragic events in the history of the two states. According to the document, both states should own up to past mistakes and join efforts to commemorate the victims of the World War II massacres. The meetings and joint statements of the two leaders are proof of the gradual reconciliation of the two parties in the context of Russia’s large-scale invasion.
According to the Russian government media, reconciliation between Poland and Ukraine is temporary. Warsaw is accused of driving a wedge between Ukrainians and Russians. Any attempt from Kyiv to develop closer relations with its Western neighbors is presented by Russian journalists as an existential threat to Russia.
The Russian media deliberately misinterprets the latest string of political and diplomatic events, arguing that the increasingly frequent contacts between Ukrainian and Polish politicians are evidence of Warsaw’s territorial claims regarding Kyiv. Moreover, in the context of Ukraine’s repeated requests to fast-track its NATO and EU accession process, Russian propaganda media claims Ukraine’s annexation to Poland will mean Kyiv will get into NATO through the backdoor.
In fact, even when entertaining this hybrid logic, when a state is annexed by another state, it surrenders its independence. A region of a certain state cannot be a member of NATO or the EU independently. The arguments presented in the article are completely out of touch with reality.
On a different note, Poland was one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine in the context of Russia’s large-scale invasion. Warsaw has proved through deeds that it genuinely supports Ukraine: it has condemned the Russian aggression, provided assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and facilitated Kyiv’s institutional rapprochement to European and Euro-Atlantic structures. Poland is one of the firmest supporters of sanctions against Moscow. At the same time, Poland accepted its territory be used as transit for the delivery of Western weapons to Ukraine.
The Polish state introduced sanctions against Russia after February 24, 2022 and called on the EU and NATO to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine. Warsaw has expressed its intention to host nuclear weapons and supported the territorial integrity of Ukraine in all international conventions.
Warsaw’s actions are not determined by its appetite for more territory to the detriment of Ukraine (which would be at odds with its status as a member of the EU and NATO), but by its fear of being Moscow’s next target. Despite the ever-decreasing possibility this scenario might play out, after nearly 17 months of war in Ukraine, sociological surveys present Russia as the number one enemy of Poland.
The reconciliation of Poland and Ukraine comes at a very difficult geopolitical timing. “Russia will never win this war as long as Poles and Ukrainians stand united. We continue to fight this war together, and together we will rejoice in peace”, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this spring, sparking Moscow’s anger.
Veridica has debunked a number of false Russian narratives about a possible Polish attack on Ukraine. The Russian media wrote that Lviv will host a referendum on its annexation to Poland, which will prompt Warsaw to declare war on Russia. Moscow-based publications tried to persuade the public at home that Poland will work with Hungary and Romania in order to conquer parts of Ukraine. According to Russian propaganda, Belarus and Russia have formed a military alliance to defend against Ukrainian terror attacks and a potential NATO attack.
