President of Poland Andrzej Duda believes that this is not the time for diplomacy, or at least that it is not the time for the leaders of two Western powers to engage in dialogue with Vladimir Putin because they are “legitimizing” him as he assured in an interview in the German newspaper Bild. Duda does not spare criticism of his counterparts in Germany and France, Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron: “I am surprised by all the talks that are currently being held with Putin. These talks are useless,” he says. This isn’t the first time the Polish president has chided the German chancellor, particularly for his reluctance to help Ukraine with heavy weapons. He chose a clue that can be particularly annoying in Berlin: “Did anyone talk to Adolf Hitler like that during World War II? Did someone say that Adolf Hitler had to [poder] save face?”
Duda not only refers to the talks the two leaders had with the Russian President, but also to some controversial statements by Emmanuel Macron, in which he stated that it was crucial that Russia was not humiliated in the end, for a solution to be found, a diplomatic solution can be found when the war in Ukraine ends. The French President has spoken frequently to Putin since Moscow launched the invasion on February 24. He has also provided Ukraine with both military supplies and financial support, but unlike other European Union leaders, he has not yet traveled to Ukraine to personally demonstrate his support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government. Scholz did not travel to Kyiv either, although the Ukrainian authorities have asked him to do so several times.
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Duda’s criticism is directed in particular at Macron’s words that France will try to become a mediator after the end of the war: “Russia must not be humiliated so that on the day the fighting ends we can work out a way out through diplomacy. ‘ he said in an interview. The Polish president claims he does not understand this deference to “the person responsible for the crimes committed by the Russian army in Ukraine”. “That [Putin] is responsible. He made the decision to send the troops there. The commanders are subordinate to him,” he adds in Bild and returns to the comparison with the greatest genocide in history: “Did anyone think that we should proceed in such a way that it is not humiliating for Adolf Hitler? I have never heard such voices.”
Zelenskyy last month criticized what he called “proposals” by some Western countries that Ukraine should cede territories and make other concessions in order to end the war. The idea, publicly defended by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, is reminiscent of attempts to appease Nazi Germany before World War II, the Ukrainian president said in his speech at the Davos Forum.
Scholz and Macron jointly called the Russian leader on May 28, urging him to release the 2,500 Ukrainian militants captured at the Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol and to start “serious and direct negotiations” with Zelenskyy. According to the German Chancellery, during an 80-minute conversation in which they called for “an immediate ceasefire” over “efforts to end” the war. Both Berlin and Paris want to leave the door open for a diplomatic solution, even if other European partners like Warsaw do not see these approaches as positive. His position has other defenders in the EU. Both Italy and Hungary have urged the European Commission to specifically call for a ceasefire in Ukraine and start peace talks with Russia, which has angered Poland, a hard-liner with Moscow.
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Arms swap crisis for Ukraine
Andrzej Duda’s anger at the calls to Putin increases criticism of Berlin over the armaments aid for Ukraine. A few days ago, the two countries experienced a small crisis over the exchange system (ring swap) designed by the Scholz government to replace the Soviet tanks that Eastern European countries are sending to Europe with modern Western equipment. Ukraine. Duda publicly accused Berlin of breaking his word by sending them Leopard main battle tanks in exchange for their Soviet-era T-72s.
The Polish President was again very vehement in his criticism of Germany. He said he felt “betrayed” and “very disappointed”. Members of the Scholz government assured that it was “a misunderstanding”. A spokesman had to deny that an agreement had been reached. According to his statement, this possibility was only discussed. “They were told that in principle yes, but that we had to see what we could deliver,” he said. According to the Defense Ministry, the Bundeswehr, which has been underfunded for decades, actually has fewer Leopard tanks than Warsaw is asking for, and if they were to get rid of their stocks, they would be left defenseless. In another ring swap with the Czech Republic, Germany did indeed send Leopard tanks, but of the 2-A4 model, made in the 1980s and less advanced than those Poland wanted.
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