The crisis in and around Ukraine was was the focus of the plenary session opening the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Winter Meeting on 24 February 2022. OSCE’s Chairman-in-Office and Poland’s Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, OSCE PA President Margareta Cederfelt, and President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka expressed their concern over Russia’s direct and open invasion of Ukraine and the deteriorating security situation in Europe. They also reiterated the role of the OSCE in facilitating dialogue and building confidence.

On 21–22 February 2022, Head of the Foreign Service Arkady Rzegocki talked to heads of Polish diplomatic missions by means of videoconferencing.  

The EU member states’ foreign ministers focused on the security situation in Europe in view of Russia’s escalating aggressive policies against Ukraine. That issue was also discussed with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who was present in Brussels. The foreign ministers also met with their counterparts from countries of the Arab Peninsula as part of the Joint EU Council – Gulf Cooperation Council.

Poland sent 300,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Palestine. Like Poland, Palestine is now facing the largest growth in the number of cases since the onset of the pandemic. Of the total Palestinian population of less than five million, 32 per cent have received full vaccination, and the daily numbers of new recorded cases exceed 10,000.

On 21-22 February, Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau will visit Brussels.

Minister Zbigniew Rau hosted Australia’s head of diplomacy, Marise Payne, in Warsaw. The ministers met in the context of a real threat of an armed conflict in Eastern Europe which could have global consequences.

Secretary of State Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk travelled to Berlin on 17 and 18 February.

The head of Polish diplomacy summed up his recent visit to Moscow as OSCE Chairman-in-Office, and the course of his talks with Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov.