Poland is in a sensitive location — at the crossroads between the countries of Western and Eastern Europe. We are a member of the European Union and NATO, but at the same time we have special ties with the East, given our shared past of the authoritarian communist regime. This location offers us a unique opportunity to strengthen our country's international position.

We support the sovereignty of countries of the East and we are ready to provide them with our experience of political transition. In our view, deep reforms and modernisation based on the European development model are the best way to achieve a long-term stabilisation of the former USSR area. Therefore, supporting pro-European and transatlantic trends in these countries is so important in our foreign policy. Poland's support for reforms of the post-Soviet region is evidenced by its activity in the Eastern Partnership initiative. We are also in active contact with the Polish diaspora who live in these areas.

A major challenge for us is the diminishing predictability and stability of some post-Soviet states, which we have observed in recent years. These processes result from, among others, the destabilising influence of the Russian Federation, its military aggression and hybrid activities such as disinformation. Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which began on February 24th, 2022, poses an unprecedented challenge not only for the Poland’s Eastern policy, but above all to the security of our part of Europe. Already in previous years, Poland has paid particular attention to the increasingly serious threats accompanying nationalism and superpower policy of Moscow – manifested i.a. by the war in Georgia in August 2008, as well as illegal annexation of Crimea and seizure of the part of Donbas in Spring 2014. The outbreak of the full-scale war meant almost automatic cessation of the majority of existing relations and cooperation fora with Russia – both by Warsaw and its allies. The efforts of the Polish diplomacy focused not only on providing all necessary support to Ukraine, but also on ensuring unified and adequate response from the entire democratic international community. This meant introduction of far-reaching sanctions, suspension of participation of Moscow in many international organizations or its removal from these bodies, as well as serious limitation of bilateral relations without compromising the security of the country and our citizens. At the same time we continuously support Russian civil society and democratic circles. At present our priority is restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Russia must bear the political and financial consequences of the unprovoked aggression.

Our common history, similar traditions and cultural links bind us with Ukraine. The Polish-Ukrainian cooperation is very intense and takes place at all levels — from the central government to districts and communes. Poland on an unprecedented scale engaged to provide all kind of a assistance; military and political support, as well as humanitarian aid for Ukraine after the launch of a full-scale invasion on Ukraine by Russia. Polish and Ukrainian NGOs and scientific and cultural exchanges are extremely vibrant, too.

The situation in Belarus following the rigged 2020 presidential elections has led to an unprecedented collapse in mutual relations and an almost complete withdrawal of Minsk from cooperation with the West. In 2021, Belarus suspended its membership in the Eastern Partnership. As Russia's main ally in its aggressive war against Ukraine, Belarus has become one of the main factors destabilising the security situation in the region. The widespread violation of basic human rights by the authorities in Minsk is a serious problem, as demonstrated by the growing number of political prisoners, as well as the persecution of representatives of the Polish national minority. At the same time, the activity of the Belarusian democratic opposition circles has increased and they are pretending to represent the interests of Belarusian society in dialogue with the West.

We are also seeking to strengthen cooperation with Moldova by helping it to reform its administrative structures and economy. We are invariably looking for new avenues for cooperation with countries of the South Caucasus — Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. We are also active in Central Asia. Kazakhstan, in view of its leadership status in Central Asia, high economic potential, and growing international importance, is Poland's main partner in the region.

Poland supports the European integration process of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, which express their willingness to join the European Union. During the European Union summit in December 2023, member states of the UE decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, as well to grant Georgia the status of a candidate country.