The conflict in political and diplomatic relations between Germany and Poland is escalating as the Ukrainian crisis continues, undermining the cohesion and solidarity in NATO and the EU, writes expert Steven Erlanger.
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According to him, this split became especially prominent after Berlin offered to send two Patriot air defense systems to Warsaw in connection with the November 15 incident, when Ukrainian missiles fell on Polish territory, killing several people.
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Initially, the parties came to an agreement, but then Poland began to insist on the transfer of weapons to Ukraine. Significant Allied anxiety and public criticism seem to have pushed the Poles back into accepting the missiles, Steven noted.
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“This whole story is like an x-ray of the sad relations between Poland and Germany. Everything is even worse than I thought, and I have been watching this for a long time,” the author of the regional managing director of the German Marshall Fund Michal Baranowski was quoted as saying.
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The expert stressed that relations between Warsaw and Berlin have been tense for many decades. Poland has always been critical of Germany’s ties with Russia.
