Czech-Polish presidential meeting overshadowed by security concerns
Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Monday paid his first visit to the Czech Republic since taking office. Traditionally strong partners and allies, the two neighbours have been brought even closer together by the worsening security situation, their proximity to the war in Ukraine and their concerns over Russian expansionism.
Poland is Czechia’s second biggest trading partner, cross-border contacts are traditionally strong and the nations are culturally and linguistically very close. In fact, in the past few years, Czechs have consistently topped the ladder of Poles’ “favourite” neighbours. Three decades ago the two countries helped each other to achieve membership in the EU and NATO, now they are striving to address a growing security threat to themselves and the whole continent.
At a joint press briefing at Prague Castle, the two heads of state emphasized that they share the view that Russia represents the biggest threat to Europe’s security and welcomed the possibility that the Geneva talks could open the way to a peace agreement. President Petr Pavel stressed however that the agreement must not undermine the fundamental principles of the current global security architecture, which would only give Russia time to regroup and attack again in a few years’ time.
“If we speak about how just or unjust the eventual peace might be, then one principle must stand: the victim of this aggression must not end up punished more severely than its perpetrator. I believe this is also a fundamental principle for Europe’s future security, because any Russian victory in this war would pose a security problem for all of us in Europe. It would only convince an aggressive state — not just Russia, but others who might follow its example — that aggression pays off.”
Both Czechia and Poland have been staunch supporters of Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression in the past four years. While the question of whether to provide military aid to Ukraine has divided the Visegrad Group (V4), Poland and Czechia have so far consistently backed an active approach. President Pavel thanked Warsaw for having made many projects possible.
“I am pleased that we have a very similar — if not identical — view of how the war in Ukraine should be resolved. And I am glad that both sides are contributing. Poland is absolutely key to Ukraine’s successful resistance and has played a crucial role from the very beginning of the conflict. Naturally, it has greater capacity for military and material assistance than the Czech Republic — and without Polish logistical support, the majority of that assistance would never reach Ukraine. I am pleased that we can cooperate in this effort, not only by sending aid through the Polish logistical hub within the ammunition initiative, but also by jointly participating in the training of Ukrainian soldiers on Polish territory.”
Whether this level of cooperation in providing military aid will continue under the new Czech administration – which is visibly less enthusiastic about the prospect - remains unclear. The Czech president said he hoped that the emerging government would recognize that defending Ukraine’s security means defending our own. Beyond that, he said, the two countries would cooperate on projects related to Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.
“Our cooperation in this area will aim to ensure that a peaceful Ukraine is able to recover as quickly as possible from the consequences of the war and integrate among standard European countries — whether within the European Union or, in the future, another framework. We will certainly continue cooperating on this, bilaterally or within multilateral groups. If we find common ground to support Ukraine within the V4 — which at the moment does not seem particularly likely — we will make use of it. But much more can be achieved in established formats, whether under the EU or NATO. And I believe it will be crucial to maintain this open communication — both between ourselves and with our other partners.”
The two countries cooperate within several other groupings, including the Bucharest Nine and the Three Seas Initiative which aim not only to strengthen the economic standing of Central and Eastern Europe but also to give the region a stronger voice within European structures.
While V4 activity waned under the outgoing Czech government, due differences over how to react to the war in Ukraine, both the Czech and Polish heads of state think it is sensible to revitalize talks and use the platform for debating other important issues such as ETS 2, illegal migration or energy policy.
