Topic: Ukraine
Country: Poland
Delegate Name: Alex Shier
School: Forest Hills Central High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Poland position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
Since the inception of the great Polish Republic one hundred years ago, we have continuously fought oppression and tyranny. Today, though we stand a proud and independent nation, the same cannot be said for some other states in Europe. Ukraine, specifically its Donbass region, faces a storm of violence that is swirling around it. This prolonged spiral began with the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the fighting has only been exacerbated by the formations of pro- and anti-Russian factions. These divisive contests culminated in the election of a Pro-Russian administration, and a subsequent series of protests over the seizure of power by this faction. As of today, this conflict is responsible for the killing of 10,000 civilians. This, combined with the Russian annexation of Crimea, of which Poland and our Western Allies strongly denounce, has created an extremely unstable political and military situation.
The ultimate aspiration of the Polish people is peace. As long as a smaller nation is being bullied on our border, we cannot have, or enjoy this tranquillity for ourselves. As a reaction to this blatant act of destabilization, we asked for Ukrainian territorial integrity to be respected. We still stand by our commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty, and with the US, in denouncing the illegal annexation of Crimea even now. When our request for Russia to withdraw was not heeded, Poland, in conjunction with NATO allies, bolstered our military assets in the region as a deterrent to further action by the Russian Federation. Though Poland would never condone military force as a means of diplomacy, these actions were indeed necessary. As a more peaceful approach to the situation, we have supported UN proposals to send a UN peacekeeping force to the whole of the Donbass to stabilize the region, and de-escalate the situation.
Poland strives for a peaceful settlement of this conflict that satisfies all parties. Unfortunately, at this time, that is not feasible. In order for productive negotiations to begin, Ukraine needs to be stable, and on equal footing as Russia. As such, Poland would support any resolution that first and foremost stabilizes the Donbass. Whether this is through direct Security Council intervention, or an agreement between parties, the goal is to construct a situation where useful negotiations can occur. Though finding a peace agreement is of utmost importance, before these talks can begin, it is an absolute necessity to stop the fighting before land, resources, and money can change hands, and true peace can be achieved.
