"Washington Post" about Poland. "A new center of gravity in Europe"

“Over the past year, Poland has emerged as a key bulwark in the West's confrontation with Russia,” writes Washington Post columnist Ishan Tharoor on Friday. He emphasizes that the role of Warsaw in supporting Kiev is appreciated not only by Volodymyr Zelensky. In his opinion, the war in Ukraine led to geopolitical shifts in Europe, shifting NATO's center of gravity to the east.

In an article titled “How Poland Became the New 'Centre of Gravity' in Europe,” Tharoor draws attention to the strengthening relations between Poland and Ukraine and words of gratitude for Warsaw's role in supporting Kiev expressed by Zelensky on Wednesday in Poland.

“But not only Zelensky appreciates this help. Over the past year, Poland has emerged as a key bulwark in the confrontation between the West and Russia,” the author writes, noting the strengthening of defense investments, the supply of Leopards and MiGs to Ukraine, and the establishment of a permanent garrison US Army in Poland. He adds that the war showed that Poland was right in its attitude towards Russia, which President Joe Biden admitted in Warsaw.

“Putin firmly attached Poland to the West”

“Indeed, the war in Ukraine has led to a sort of geopolitical shift in Europe, shifting 'NATO's center of gravity' … beyond the traditional pillars in France and Germany, eastward, to countries like Poland, its Baltic neighbors and others ountries that used to lie behind the Iron Curtain,” argues Tharoor, citing the opinion of CEPA think tank expert Chels Michty.

However, Tharoor notes that if the PiS government loses power in the upcoming elections, Poland's course on the war in Ukraine is unlikely to change. He quotes the diagnosis of the British journalist Neal Ascherson, who stated that “Putin firmly attached Poland to the West”, and if the autumn elections are won by the opposition, “this bond will be even stronger”.