The “point of no return” in Polish-Ukrainian
relations has already passed and the two countries must now find a new mode
of cooperation, Daniel Szeligowski, head of the Eastern Europe program at the
Polish Institute of International Affairs, told NV Radio on Aug. 12.
“I agree that this is the worst episode in Polish-Ukrainian relations in modern history, since the early 1990s,” Szeligowski said on the air.
“So the simple answer — ‘let’s go back to how it was before’ — will no longer work. It’s impossible. I used to say the point of no return was ahead of us; sadly, we have already passed it. We must think about a new phase in Polish-Ukrainian relations, a completely new form.”
He said he had expected the situation to worsen, especially
around the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Volhynia tragedy, but the
peak of escalation was not as great as he had feared. He said the peak of
tensions came in late July.