For gpcodzinnie.pl, 24 September 2013: The moment when Ukraine signs the Association Treaty with the European Union is getting closer. It creates new opportunities for Polish-Ukrainian political cooperation in the space between Germany and Russia.

An occasion for talks with MPs of Law and Justice party was arrival to Warsaw of deputies of the Supreme Council with the intention to lay flowers on the grave of general Marek Bezruczko.

The theater of the Battle of Warsaw 1920 was covered from the south by the units of the Ukrainian People's Republic. When on August 25 the fighting in the north ended, Semyon Budyonny's 1st Cavalry Army approached Zamosc. From August 29th to 31st, when Polish reinforcements under General Józef Haller arrived, the town was defended by the 6th Division of Sich Sharpshooters led by Colonel Marek Bezruczko. Earlier these units together with the Polish army took Kiev, and on August 31 they participated in the defeat of Budyonny's army near Komarow. Symbol of brotherhood

General Marko Bezruczko was a supporter of the alliance of Symon Petlura and Józef Piłsudski and Polish-Ukrainian cooperation against Soviet Russia. After demobilization he settled in Warsaw. He was the president of the Ukrainian Military-Historical Society, which was to prepare cadres for a new war with the Soviets. He died in Warsaw on February 10, 1944.

Marko Bezruczko is a symbol of Polish-Ukrainian military and political cooperation. Therefore, references to this tradition by MPs of the Law and Justice party and Ukrainian deputies are not only symbolic, but also geopolitical. Especially in the context of the upcoming signing of the Association Treaty between Ukraine and the European Union.

In a letter to Ukrainian parliamentarians who attended the ceremony of laying flowers together on the grave of General Marek Bezruczko at the Wola Orthodox Cemetery in Warsaw, Law and Justice parliamentarians wrote: "The Polish-Ukrainian partnership has a long tradition, so it is incomprehensible that the conviction of the necessity of this partnership is not accompanied by an adequate historical policy, promoting what in history brings our nations together.

However, the brotherhood of arms from almost 100 years ago is still a great example of cooperation today. Honoring Ukrainian soldiers - heroes of that war - is also for us a repayment of a moral obligation towards an ally, whom we were not able to help at that time". The authors of the letter assured Ukrainians that "for a significant part of patriotically-oriented political elites of Poland and Ukraine, strategic partnership between our countries is the best guarantee of independence and protection against the collapse of our homelands.

The ceremony at the Orthodox Cemetery was followed by a meeting of PiS parliamentarians: Jarosław Kaczyński, chairman, Adam Lipiński, deputy speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński, and Krzysztof Szczerski, MEP, with Ukrainian deputies from Lviv and Kiev regions - Jarosław Dubnewicz from UDAR party and deputies of Yulia Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna: Mykola Kniazhytsky, the founder of the independent TV station TBI, Lidia Kotylak and Ihor Vasyunyk. Then, a joint Polish-Ukrainian press conference took place in the Sejm. Moscow's defeat

Most Poles were convinced that giving up their own foreign policy and submitting to the interests of Russia and Germany would bring security and prosperity. Consequently, they elected the PO, a party that pursues just such a policy. As a result, we are today threatened by the imperial policies of our neighbors.

Nobody counts with Poland anymore, because it is weak - and by its own choice. Meanwhile, carrying out reforms and regaining its own state and economy requires precisely an independent foreign policy and allies to be able to resist external pressure, such as from Russia.

In this context, Polish-Ukrainian cooperation becomes very important today because Angela Merkel's victory means that in the grand coalition that will be formed in Germany, it will be the Christian Democrats who will dictate the direction of eastern policy.

The decision by the EU, or de facto Germany, to sign an association treaty with Ukraine indicates that a "rough friendship" will continue in German-Russian relations and that the Kremlin's hopes for a victory in Germany for the Russian party, namely the Social Democrats, the post-Communist Left and the Greens, have failed.

Operation Snowden failed. On the other hand, the Ukrainian elite has decided to be independent in the face of Moscow and will defend its interests, which are often at odds with Russia's aspirations. Opportunity for us The geopolitical situation described above creates an opportunity for Poland to play for its interests, as it always does when the German-Russian alliance loosens.

In this case, there will be another factor, albeit a weaker one - Ukraine. If Poland does not enter the game and continues to be guided by Russian interests towards Ukraine, we will become a pawn played by the superpowers in our region. Russia will continue to use Poland against Ukraine, stirring up historical resentments. Kiev, on the other hand, will rely entirely on Germany, which is interested in keeping our economy completely dependent on its economic interests.

Our goal should be to play not only the Polish-Ukrainian-Russian triangle, but also the Polish-Ukrainian-German triangle. Strengthening Ukraine's position vis-à-vis Berlin and Moscow will also improve our position vis-à-vis Germany. If Poland does not become an independent factor, it will not be able to bring about any changes internally and will sink into a sterile struggle against mythical enemies.

That is why we should not be concerned about the attacks of Russian agents fueling Polish-Ukrainian misunderstandings. We should treat the counteraction of the enemy as proof of the rightness of the chosen path.