On Sunday, the American magazine “Foreign Policy” put forward the concept of creating a structure in the present times based on the Polish-Lithuanian Union. They stated that the union, which was initiated more than 600 years ago in Krewo, offers solutions for today’s Europe.
“FP” reminds us that the union, which also included large areas of today’s Belarus and Ukraine, helped to incorporate vast areas of Eastern Europe, including the lands of ancient Kievan Rus, into Western Christianity. It also answered the fears of the threat posed by the Teutonic Order.
The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth has been highlighted by an American magazine as a source of inspiration for the United States. It was one of the largest countries in Europe and a fascinating laboratory for political management, carefully studied by the Founding Fathers of the United States. Following the demise of the Jagiellon dynasty, the Commonwealth transformed into an elective monarchy, similar to Italian city-states but operating on a far larger scale.
The magazine highlighted the advantages of the union, ranging from parliamentary unanimity, religious tolerance and freedom enjoyed by the nobility in comparison to the absolute monarchies of Western Europe.
Reimagining a Political Union Between Ukraine and Poland: Common Interests, Not Nostalgia
Foreign Policy is asking if a political solution similar to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth could be used to solve the issues facing Ukraine and Poland today. The magazine argues that such a union should not be driven by nostalgia, but by the common interests of both countries.
It emphasizes that, despite four centuries of shared history, Ukraine and Belarus still have much more in common with Poland than with Russia. Furthermore, Foreign Policy emphasizes that the relationship between Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus has often been complicated, but that this should not deter a potential union.
Russian threat
Both Poland and Ukraine are facing a threat from Russia. Today, Poland is a member of the EU and NATO, while Ukraine seeks to join both organizations, just like the former Grand Duchy, which wanted to be part of the mainstream of Christianized Europe. Even if Ukraine’s war with Russia ends with Ukraine’s decisive victory and the expulsion of Russian forces from the country, Kyiv could potentially face a decades-long struggle to join the EU, let alone to obtain credible security guarantees from the United States, according to Foreign Policy magazine.
One fantasises about what would happen if Poland and Ukraine merged to form a federal or confederative state. It is presumed that the joint state would have a say in foreign and defence policy, plus Ukraine would be immediately admitted to the EU and NATO.
The daily FP speculates that a Polish-Ukrainian Union would be the second largest country in the EU, and would be more than enough to counterbalance the Franco-German tandem in the EU after Brexit.
In the book entitled “Testament I Rzeczpospolitej” (Testament of the First Republic – ed.) and published over 8 years ago, editor Tomasz Sakiewicz came to similar conclusions. The author himself describes why Russia is so determinedly fighting for Ukraine.