DISINFO: Poland froze its relations with Russia, fighting with the Soviet monuments and Russian infrastructure projects
SUMMARY
The Polish authorities demonstrate their reluctance to improve bilateral relations with Russia through the limitation of contacts with the Russian Federation. The Polish-Russian relations have been frozen since 2014 at the initiative of the Polish side. In recent years, Poland has launched a large-scale campaign against the Soviet monuments; this country carries out an aggressive historical policy and fights with the Russian infrastructure projects. In addition, there is an increasing NATO’s presence on the eastern flank under a pretext of the alleged Russian threat. On the official level, the Russophobic rhetoric is fueled by the Polish media.
RESPONSE
This message is a part of the Kremlin’s widespread narrative about anti-Russian, Russophobic Poland, deliberately worsening its relations with Russia. This message combines all the key Russian disinformation claims about the Polish-Russian relations: the pro-Kremlin media put all the blame for tense bilateral relations between these two countries on the Polish authorities.
The arrival of a new Polish Ambassador to Moscow illustrates that Poland is interested in having normal diplomatic relations with Russia. On 28 March 2021, the new Polish Ambassador to Russia gave an interview to Russian media, where he stated that Poland was open to dialogue with Russia. The Polish authorities have repeatedly stated that Poland is willing to improve its relations with Russia – on the condition that Russia starts observing the regulations of international law. In a statement of 21 December 2019, the Polish authorities reiterated their openness to continue the historical dialogue with Russia, for example, through restarting the work of the bilateral Group on Difficult Issues.
Current issues in Polish-Russian relations are directly connected with Russia’s actions: continuous violation of international law, anti-Polish “historical" accusations, ungrounded expulsion of a Polish diplomat, to name a few.
See other examples of similar messages claiming that Poland has no reasons to have tense relations with Russia, but is only a US vassal state; Poland uses the situation around Navalny as a pretext for the next anti-Russian attack and the Polish Government deliberately worsens its relations with Russia.