Yuriy Shcherbak: A powerful Ukrainian-Polish tandem will emerge in Europe

     In the latest issue of the influential weekly magazine "Gazeta Polska" (No.39,28.09.2022), an article by the famous Ukrainian writer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine Yuriy Shcherbak "Without a free Ukraine and a free Poland, there will be no free Europe" appeared.

     This is already the third publication of Y.Shcherbak in the magazine "Gazeta Polska" in the last two months. The author begins the new article with the famous slogan of Józef Piłsudski: "There is no free Poland without a free Ukraine", also recalling the words of another outstanding Pole - Zbigniew Brzezinski - that "without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be an empire, but with Ukraine suborned and then subordinated, Russia automatically becomes an empire".

       Calling the Russian-Ukrainian war an existential one, a clash of the forces of Light and Darkness, Yuriy Shcherbak believes that the Russian "Empire of Evil", in case of victory in Ukraine, will not stop and will direct its aggression against Lithuania and Poland.

      "Notwithstanding how tough and painful the fight of free peoples with the Moscow horde will be, we believe in our victory," - the Ukrainian writer emphasizes. Already today he is suggesting to think of building a post-war world, of what our brotherly peoples will be facing in the near future.

       Y.Shcherbak is convinced that, despite the fact that as a result of the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian state and people found themselves on the edge of the abyss, areal miracle has happened: thanks to the heroism of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ukrainian political nation has been formed and statehood has been strengthened, "proving its right to a leading place in post-war Europe in the new architecture of world security".

       The author warns against euphoria and calls to remember that both in Poland and Ukraine there are forces aimed at inciting enmity, at "pulling out the skeletons of our difficult past" to make future joint endeavour`s impossible.

       Y.Shcherbak calls for the formation of the Ukrainian-Polish commission "Common Future" for holding a discussion about parameters of the post-war - after the victory over Russia - Union of our states and peoples. The basis of such a project could be the Three Seas initiative, which already today unites 12 EU member states.

       The author of the article is dreaming of a close union of the two states in the form of a confederation in the political, economic, military, scientific and other fields, the formation of an interparliamentary assembly, the unification of military units, joint intelligence and counterintelligence activities, the creation of join industrial corporations and close cooperation of small and medium-sized businesses.

       "It is clear, - Y.Shcherbak emphasizes, - that it is not going to be an easy path to agreeing on common interests and ambitions, but it must be passed through".

        The author believes that a powerful tandem with a potential population of up to90 million citizens will emerge in Central-Eastern Europe: under such conditions, it will be possible to paraphrase J.Piłsudski`s formula in a new way: "Without a free Ukraine and a free Poland, there is no free Europe."

        By Valentyn Kondratiuk

        Photo depicts publication by Yuriy Shcherbak