Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz recently expressed public outrage over the use of the red and black flag by the Ukrainian military on Polish Rosomak armoured personnel carriers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In his address, he focused on the historical contradictions between the two countries, which, according to analysts, only increases antipathy towards Ukraine among Polish society.
Roman Ponomarenko, a military historian and analyst, criticised the Polish minister’s statements, noting that they could be an attempt to gain cheap popularity. At the same time, the Polish official does not seem to be interested in the fact that this particular equipment is used to deter Russian aggression, in particular to protect the Polish border.
Ponomarenko compared the situation to Winston Churchill’s position during World War II. At that time, the UK supplied military equipment to the Soviet Union, and British leaders did not express public dissatisfaction with the use of Soviet symbols on it, understanding the importance of the Red Army for the anti-Hitler coalition.
The analyst also noted that this behaviour of Polish politicians may indicate a desire to see Ukraine as a weak, dependent state that will become a market for Polish goods and a source of cheap labour. According to Ponomarenko, the theoretical defeat of Ukraine in the war is perceived in Poland not as a threat to its own security, but as a way to eliminate a potential competitor for regional leadership.