Poland and the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict

The main objective of the study is to analyse the Poland's position towards the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the annexation of Crimea and the regulation of the situation in Donbas. Concerning methodology the systematic method was used for studying of the Polish politicians’ perception of the occupation of Donbas and annexation of Crimea and a comparative analysis was used for studying of the positions of European and Polish leaders towards the Poland's hypothetical participation in the Normandy format or other format for resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The Poland's official position on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict 2014-2020 has been analysed. It has been proved that for Poland Ukraine is a zone of special interests. Official Warsaw seeks to play a significant role in resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, because the failure of Ukraine will mean for Poland the deterioration of its own security situation. Currently, the Polish border with Ukraine is the EU’s and NATO’s border, so it would be optimal for Poland to move the borders of these organizations in the future to the East of Ukraine, so Poland strongly defends Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic ambitions. It was concluded that Polish politicians have an understanding that turning the conflict in the Donbas into a frozen one will mean the presence of a permanent explosive situation. It is recommended that the clear signals to the official Warsaw from the official Kyiv about the interest in the practical implementation of the Polish-Ukrainian strategic partnership would be important and farsighted. It is highlighted that the implementation of Polish strategy on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict depends on the strategies of the main players of the European strategic space. The Polish position is perceived as pro-American by French and German authorities, so the official Paris and Bonn avoid involving Poland in the negotiations on the situation in the Donbas. However, Poland alone is not capable of influencing the regulation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Warsaw must act together with the most powerful players