Lublin Triangle Guarantor of Security for X-Captive Nations
The historic alliance known as the Lublin Triangle with its Lublin
Brigade, first cited here on July 23, 2020, and rarely written about elsewhere,
is being fleshed out by Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania with mutually beneficial,
premeditated substance, dynamic principles, reciprocal support, political vision
and understanding of current threats by russia.
Indeed, motivated by russia’s 11-month war against Ukraine that began
nine years ago and has lasted since 1169 when the muscovite ruler Andrey Bogoliubskiy
sacked Kyiv, the presidents of the three neighboring former captive nations of russian
subjugation have formalized and strengthened their relations and entered a new strategic
phase of their foreign affairs – albeit 78 years too late.
For the nations that declared their independence from russia and escaped
its centuries-long bondage such a regional alliance is a godsend and perhaps their
only means of self-preservation and sovereignty. Not surprising then is the observation
by Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki, who recently said “If Germany does not agree
to the supply of Leopard 2, we will create a smaller coalition of states that are
ready to share tanks with Ukraine.” With NATO straddling the fence regarding high-powered
military equipment for Ukraine, such a smaller coalition, a regional “NATO,” comes
at the right moment. Fortunately, Germany yielded to its neighbors’ pressure but
the issue demonstrated the political power of a small coalition of states that understands
the dangers of russia and are willing to stand up to it.
On August 2, 2020, I had cited an interview with Pavlo Klimkin, when
he was minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine, who advocated the creation of such
a necessary and far-reaching bloc. Outraged by the Russian invasion of his homeland,
Klimkin suggested soon after President Petro Poroshenko’s visit to Canada and the
United States the creation of a Coalition of Freedom to defend democracy and Western
values in a troubled world.
“It is about security for everyone,” Klimkin had said during an exclusive
Fox News interview on the eve of the 71st UN General Assembly in 2016. “If someone
in this interchangeable and intertwined world cannot feel secure, how can US citizens
here feel secure?”
Klimkin explained that Ukraine is confronting – and still is – a threat
any nation can face, adding “we need a network of security.” His Coalition of Freedom
would consist of “countries which are committed to freedom, to democratic values,
where we are not talking about spheres of influence, but the values and real interests
of democratic countries.”
Indeed, despite the passing of a few years but with Russia’s full-scale
invasion of Ukraine destroying the country and killing its people, Klimkin’s theme
as well as the Lublin Triangle fit today’s dangerous global agenda, especially the
one faced by the former captive nations that exist russia’s shadow.
Presidents of Poland, Andrzej
Duda, Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda,
Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held a
meeting in Lviv, on January 11, where they signed a joint statement of the presidents
of the Lublin Triangle.
“The Presidents of Poland, Andrzej Duda, Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda,
Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A joint statement of the presidents of the Lublin
Triangle has been signed in Lviv today,” the Office of the President of Poland said
on Twitter.
The joint declaration signed by the presidents of Ukraine, Lithuania,
and Poland following the second summit of the Lublin Triangle supports holding the
Global Peace Formula Summit, creating a special international tribunal to prosecute
russia, giving Ukraine EU and NATO membership prospects, and continuing security
assistance to Ukrainians. The task and goal of helping Ukraine in its war with russia
was placed high on the list of the agreement’s mission.
“The Joint Declaration is the result of the negotiations. It reflects
the key political, humanitarian and other conclusions of today's meeting,” Zelenskyy
said.
According to the Zelenskyy’s Office, the Joint Declaration confirms
the centuries-old historical ties between Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland, as well
as defines the priority areas of cooperation of the Lublin Triangle, in particular
in the framework of the strategic course of our country to acquire full membership
in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The document reaffirms the intention of Lithuania and Poland to continue
providing powerful military, technical, defense, humanitarian and other support
to Ukraine.
The Joint Declaration highlights support for convening the Global Peace
Formula Summit to consolidate international support for the peace plan presented
by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The support for the establishment of a special international tribunal
to prosecute the Russian Federation for the crime of aggression against Ukraine
is confirmed.
The document praises the expansion of the Black Sea Grain Initiative
to other seaports of Ukraine and the importance of continuing the Grain from Ukraine
program to strengthen global food security.
“The signing of the Joint Declaration at the level of the Presidents
of Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland enshrines the support of the Lithuanian and Polish
parties for the prospect of Ukraine's membership in the EU and NATO as soon as the
conditions allow,” the President’s Office informed.
The
Polish President emphasized that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion
of russia, his country has provided humanitarian aid and weapons to Ukraine to repel
the Russian invasion.
“We
know very well what russian occupation is, because for many years we have not had
our own statehood because of Russia. We were under russian occupation several times,
so we will continue to support Ukraine and provide the necessary assistance in the
future. We will continue to supply weapons to Ukraine,” Duda said.
He
noted that russia intends to continue the war and will systematically take measures
to destroy Ukraine - destroy infrastructure and cities. Therefore, russia must be
stopped.
“In
order for the Armed Forces to effectively defend Ukraine, they need modern weapons.
And these weapons must be transferred to Ukraine,” Duda noted.
In
his turn, Gitanas Nausėda stressed that this war must end with the victory of Ukraine
and the aggressor must be held accountable.
“We
are doing everything possible to support Ukraine, particularly in the military sphere,”
the President of Lithuania said.
Nausėda
pointed that Lithuania provides military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine
in various formats, in particular by transferring generators and organizing projects
in support of Ukraine on its territory. Among other things, he mentioned the work
of the specially opened Ukrainian Center in Vilnius.
Nausėda
has also confirmed that his country and Poland supported Ukraine on the way to the
EU candidate status and expressed confidence that the EU would soon have an opportunity
to discuss the launch of negotiations on the full-fledged membership of Ukraine
at the level of the European Council.
Nausėda
touched upon the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine from NATO, which could
be provided, in particular, at the next summit, to make Ukraine feel safer and feel
the support of the Alliance.
“Today
we must admit that the war continues and the territorial integrity of Ukraine is
violated. First, it is necessary to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
However, Ukraine's membership in NATO cannot be taken off the agenda. We must agree
on the algorithms and formulas to be used in order to move further in this aspect,”
the President of Lithuania concluded.
Separately,
Zelenskyy said, “Poland has decided to provide tanks for Ukraine - I am grateful
for this. I thank President Duda, the Government of Poland, all our Polish friends.
Lithuania provides anti-aircraft systems to our country - the weapons we need to
protect ourselves from Iranian drones - to protect our energy sector. I thank Gitanas
for another demonstration of unwavering and principled support for Ukraine, which
began even before February 24 and will continue until our victory.
“Today,
I heard this confidence once again from both Andrzej and Gitanas - we will go all
the way together to restore security of Ukraine and the whole of Europe, to restore
our territorial integrity, to restore peace. Russian aggression must fail - and
it will.”
As
for the russian war against Ukraine, Zelenskyy noted in an address to the nation
that the three presidents “also talked about the situation on the battlefield. In
particular, that Russian aggression will be depleted only when Russian ambitions
have no other alternative except for the defeat. All Russian ambitions - on the
front, in politics, in economy, in the legal sphere.”
Earlier,
on December 6, 2022, three non-governmental organizations from Lithuania, Poland,
and Ukraine, namely the Civic Resilience Initiative, Kosciuszko Institute and Detector
Media, presented in Brussels during the EU – Ukraine Forum on Countering Disinformation
a joint in-depth report highlighting the challenges emanating from russian disinformation
and propaganda activities in the Lublin Triangle countries.
Underscoring
the presence of russian propaganda and disinformation that threatens the existence
of the three states, the NGO representatives made the following recommendations:
• Raising awareness, which is the cornerstone of resilience to
russian malign information campaigns;
• Nominating a critical coordinating body responsible for strategic
communication both in the country and abroad;
• Developing or strengthening a comprehensive real-time monitoring
system;
• Engaging in practice and know-how sharing with other countries
and partners that are highly exposed to russian disinformation;
• Encouraging international and multilateral political dialogue
on uniting efforts to combat disinformation;
• Implying a transparent and measurable evaluation system to
track the effectiveness of the efforts to build resilience to disinformation.
On November 26, 2022, a meeting of the prime ministers
of the member states of the Lublin Triangle - Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland – was
held in Kyiv, according to the results of which prime ministers, among other points:
Emphasized
the significant role of the Lublin Triangle in consolidating international support
for Ukraine in countering russia’s armed aggression;
Confirmed
their readiness to continue active cooperation in restoring the territorial integrity
and sovereignty of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders;
Condemned
systemic war crimes committed by Russia's forces in regions of Ukraine, including
deliberate, indiscriminate, and disproportionate attacks against the civilian population
and elements of the civilian infrastructure;
Condemned
the forced deportation by the Russian occupiers of thousands of Ukrainian citizens,
including children, from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to russia;
Such a pact existed among the captive nations during World War II in
order to fight soviet russian aggression.
The Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations (ABN) was a coordinating center
for anti-Communist émigré political organizations from Soviet and other socialist
countries. The ABN attributes its existence and its ideological foundations to an
underground conference of representatives of non-Russian peoples that took place
on November 21-22, 1943, near Zhytomyr, Ukraine, on the initiative of the Organization
of Ukrainian Nationalists. The attendees adopted a platform of joint revolutionary
struggle against Russian communism. The goal of the ABN was the dissolution of the
Soviet Union into national states. Given an organizational structure in Munich in
1946, the ABN extended its scope of activity to include the Eastern European emigration.
The following organizations were members of the ABN from its inception
or for varying periods of time: “Free Armenia” Committee, Bulgarian National Front,
Belorussian Central Council, Cossack National Liberation Movement, Croatian National
Liberation Movement, Czech Movement for Freedom (Za Svobodu), Czech National Committee,
Estonian Liberation Movement, Union of the Estonian Fighters for Freedom, Georgian
National Organization, Hungarian Liberation Movement, Hungarian Mindszenty Movement,
Latvian Association for the Struggle against Communism, Lithuanian Rebirth Movement,
Slovak Liberation Committee, National Turkestanian Unity Committee, United Hetman
Organization, and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (Bandera faction).
The establishment of the Lublin Triangle clearly demonstrates the three
countries’ concern regarding the continuing threat to their independence and sovereignty
posed by russia. Furthermore they are publicly committed to safeguarding their freedom
against russian aggression and subjugation. Indeed, this is a step in the right
direction – the direction of independence, sovereignty and self-determination of
the former captive nations.
To be sure, if NATO and the free world are not prepared to actively
undertake this task, then the endangered countries are willing and able to do so
by themselves.
