Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine create “Lublin Triangle” to stand up to Russian aggression

Warsaw, Poland – Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine have created the “Lublin Triangle”, a new trilateral platform for political, military, economic and social cooperation to counter “the ongoing Russian aggression” in the region and to reiterate their “firm support” for the European and Euro-Atlantic institutions.

The Lublin Triangle, a reference to the Union of Lublin, which officially established the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, is the first central European alliance that Ukraine has become a part of.

In their joint declaration published online, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine draw attention to the activities of the three nations in the process of shaping “the modern political, cultural and social realities of Central Europe”.

They notably condemn Russia’s “ongoing aggression” and its “attempted annexation” of Crimea, and call upon Moscow to withdraw its troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, reaffirming their “unwavering support” to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and welcoming its “European choice”.

Expressing their support for Ukraine’s aspirations to NATO membership, the ministers also recommit to deepening and broadening of Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian military-to-military cooperation, “both through bilateral and trilateral activities”.

They further stress the importance of intensifying the cooperation between the EU, NATO, and the Eastern Partnership and paying special attention to the development of the Three Seas Initiative, a forum of twelve EU states along a north-south axis from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea.

Cooperation between the three countries will not be limited to defense issues, and will also include strengthening cooperation on trade, investments, civil society and tourism, based on “the multi-centennial historical and cultural links” between the three nations.

Among the other priorities named in the declaration is a commitment to providing mutual support in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Regular meetings, in the margins of multilateral sessions and with the participation of chosen partners, will be held within the new regional framework.

This latest announcement comes as Poland has increasingly been standing up to Russia and positioning itself as a guarantor of Ukrainian sovereignty, notably on energy security. “It is very important that Poland becomes one of the guarantors of Ukraine’s energy security, which, as we know, has suffered from Russia’s gas and energy blackmail for many years,” explained the Polish President Andrzej Duda, at a press conference back in May.