Five Important Details That Most Folks Missed From Zelensky’s Interview With Polish Media

By Andrew Korybko

If Poles reject his implied demand that they accept Ukrainian ultra-nationalist narratives, question the co-production of arms with Ukraine, and oppose its membership in the EU, then they might “ruin this alliance” like he fears.

Zelensky gave a joint interview to the Polish Press Agency, TVP World, and Polish Radio during his trip to Warsaw to meet with his counterpart Karol Nawrocki. The content was predictable in the sense that he was asked about bilateral ties, his assessment of the conflict with Russia, and ties with the US, but there were five little-noticed yet very important details that haven’t received the attention that they deserve. What follows is a one-sentence summary of each one, the relevant quote, and a brief elaboration:

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1. Zelensky Fears That Popular Polish Perceptions Of Ukrainian Ingratitude Could “Ruin This Alliance”

* “We have always been grateful to Poland; in my opinion, we are one. I sincerely hope that under no circumstances will we see the destruction of what we have built so far…We cannot show any hostility to each other, there can be no hostility between us. If we were careless, we could actually ruin this alliance.”

– The scenario that he fears so much could enter into fruition after fall 2027’s next parliamentary elections. A recent poll showed that the Crown and Confederation populist-nationalist opposition parties, which are very critical of Ukraine, collectively command 21.85% of the public’s support. If this stays constant till the next elections and they form a coalition government with the conservative opposition that’s polling at 31.21%, then Poland’s policy towards Ukraine might drastically change.

2. Zelensky Wants Poland To Accept Ukrainian Ultra-Nationalist Narratives

* “The exhumation process is now open. The fact that representatives of the institutes of national remembrance met today shows that these are not just declarations. I believe that Ukrainians are not and will not block appropriate processes. We should reach out to each other on historical matters. I believe this synchronization is appropriate. Mutual respect is appropriate.”

– There’s a memorial in southeastern Poland to UPA members who fought the Soviets and Ukraine considers the post-WWII resettlement of Orthodox East Slavs from that region to be ethnic cleansing. Ultra-nationalists accordingly claim this territory for Ukraine. In the context of him finally agreeing to Poland’s requests to exhume and properly bury some of the Volhynia Genocide’s victims, he’s basically proposing the quid pro quo of Poland accepting these narratives for more exhumations and burials.

3. Russia Is Successfully Disrupting Ukraine’s Clandestine Military Logistics In Odessa

* “Odessa has been bombed for days. It’s the same today. Putin talks about how he loves this city, the people of Odessa, and therefore loves it so much that he wants to strangle it. He has ruined the infrastructure and food production so that food, medicine, and gasoline cannot be sold and distributed in Odessa and the Odessa Oblast. Such bombardments with massive numbers of drones, missiles, bombs, and attacks on infrastructure are the real face of this war.”

– Honest observers know that Ukraine’s military logistics in this part of the country are largely conducted under the cover of trade, ergo why Zelensky claimed that Russia ruined “infrastructure and food production” during its recent bombing campaign when this actually targeted military sites. The disruption of Ukraine’s military logistics must therefore have been even more successful than many thought for him to make such a big deal about this during his interview when it wasn’t all that relevant.

4. Questions Remain About The Co-Production Of Drones & Missiles With Poland

* “We’re interested in co-production with Poland. We have good companies on both sides that could establish co-production for both drones and missiles. I think this is the main, priority direction.”

– This isn’t new per se, but “Poland’s Military-Industrial Complex Is Embarrassingly Underdeveloped” and even Politico recently described it as a “dwarf”, so it’s unclear exactly what Poland can contribute to this. Another question is where exactly this would happen. If any of this is set up in Ukraine and involves Poland’s state-owned PGZ defence holding company, perhaps to expand Polish influence, then the authorities would have to answer to the public if Russia targets these assets and Polish citizens are killed.

5. Nawrocki Might Have Rejected Zelensky’s Request For Supporting Ukraine’s EU Membership

* “As for our path toward European integration, Poland has always been among our closest friends and advocates for our membership. I told the president that we very much hope that he and Poland will support Ukraine as a future member of the European Union.”

– Reading between the lines, Zelensky is arguably conveying that Nawrocki at the very least didn’t approve of his request to support Ukraine’s EU membership and might have at worst rejected it. As was explained in early November, “Poland Might Impede The EU’s Push To Speedily Grant Ukraine Membership” since this would destroy its agricultural industry. It’s therefore reasonable to assume that this unresolved issue might become a much greater irritant in bilateral ties after the conflict ends.

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Four of these five little-noticed details from Zelensky’s interview concern bilateral ties, with the most important being his implicit acknowledgement of how dependent they are on public opinion in Poland. This speaks to the significant influence that Poles have come to have on them. If they reject his implied demand that they accept Ukrainian ultra-nationalist narratives, question the co-production of arms with Ukraine, and oppose its membership in the EU, then they might “ruin this alliance” like he fears.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Voice of East.

Categories: Analysis, Geopolitics, International Affairs

Tags: EU, Europe, Geopolitics, Poland, Russia, Ukraine