Polish and British MFA chiefs: Ukraine's NATO accession possible relatively quickly

"On 4–5 July 2023, Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau paid a visit to London. The main item on the agenda were the Polish–British consultations in the Quadriga format with the participation of Foreign Ministers, Zbigniew Rau and James Cleverly, and Defence Ministers, Mariusz Błaszczak and Ben Wallace" - Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Office said in a statement on Wednesday (July 5).

"In addition to the Quadriga meeting, Minister Rau held talks with his UK counterpart James Cleverly and, together with Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, laid a wreath at the monument to General Władysław Sikorski outside the building of the Polish Embassy in London," the MFA added.

Polish MFA added that both the bilateral talks and the Quadriga session had focused on the broad security and security cooperation. "The ministers also talked about the challenges facing the upcoming NATO Summit, including the anchoring of Ukraine in NATO, strengthening the eastern flank, and Sweden’s accession to the Alliance. In addition, the officials discussed the threats stemming from aggressive policy pursued by Russia and Belarus, which is supporting the Russian Federation, the broader geopolitical context of the situation in Europe, and future challenges relating to Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction," we read.

UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly and Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau both expressed hopes that Ukraine would see an expedited accession process similar to that used by Finland when it joined the alliance earlier this year.

"On our hopes for Ukraine, the alliance has spoken clearly with one voice. We've made the statement of Bucharest that Ukraine's future is within NATO. The timing for that was never tightly defined. But what we have seen over the last 16, 17, 18 months is the Ukrainian armed forces evolve, adapt and modernise at an incredible rate," Cleverly said.

"They are now very experienced in the use of NATO standard equipment, NATO doctrine and NATO tactics. Going to join NATO their actions will inevitably have shortened that time scale."

"Process by which Sweden and Finland applied to join - and Finland has ultimately already joined NATO - was a truncated one because we recognised they are highly capable military nations and I think we should reflect upon that when we discuss what process would be appropriate for Ukraine to join. But I think it's incumbent upon us to recognise how much of an improvement we have seen in their military capability over the last 18 months," the British minister said.

Minister Rau reassured Poland's support for Ukraine's NATO ambitions. "The position of Poland here is very clear. We want to bring Ukraine closer to the alliance as much as possible in the institutional dimension. Adapt Ukraine's military-political structures to those which are standard in the alliance."

"The entry of Ukraine into NATO - if these will requirements will be fulfilled - will be possible relatively, relatively quickly," he added.

Asked about reports Russian forces had planted explosives on reactors at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, both ministers were reluctant to comments, but Rau said Russia was "predictable in its unpredictability" and said Poland and NATO would react "adequately" to such a situation.

Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday accused each other of plotting to stage an attack on Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, where the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned of potential catastrophe from nearby military clashes.

Experts from the U.N. nuclear watchdog based at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia plant have yet to observe any indications of mines or explosives at the plant, but said they need more access to be sure.

After the talks, Cleverly and Rau signed a Joint Declaration on the 2030 Partnership, which "relates to strategic priorities for cooperation, increases the level of mutual ambitions, and strengthens the partnership between Poland and the UK".

"Although the document lays emphasis primarily on cooperation in security, it also concerns other areas of bilateral relations, including cooperation at international fora. Indicating the year 2030 as a reference point, the declaration is to form a basis for the development of strategic partnership between the two countries in a period that goes far beyond the date," Polish MFA said.