Poland on Saturday seized a building in Warsaw near the Russian embassy that was used as a school for the children of Russian diplomats, drawing protest from Moscow.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow would respond “very” harshly. “Warsaw will receive retaliatory steps, as you understand, they will be taken and worked out by agencies. This work has been launched, this is their choice, we will respond,” she said.
Polish officials said the building was owned by Warsaw’s city hall and claimed it was taken by Russia illegally. “Our opinion, which has been confirmed by the courts, is that this property belongs to the Polish state and was taken by Russia illegally,” the Polish Foreign Ministry said.
But Moscow said the seizure is “illegal” and violates established rules for diplomatic relations. “We regard this as yet another hostile act by the Polish authorities and a blatant violation of the Vienna Convention of 1961,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Throughout the war in Ukraine, NATO countries and Russia have had diplomatic spats, resulting in the expulsion of Russian diplomats from several countries. Most recently, Norway expelled 15 Russian diplomats over spying allegations.
Everyone needs to put their -icks back in their pants and chill out. Russia needs to kewl their jets and begin diplomatic relations to smooth this business down…
There is a little problem, Russian diplomats are prevented from doing their job.
That would be the most rational thing to do. But this bysiness is everything but rational. Be that taking Rusdian money from Western Banks, property owned by Russian businesses businesses and individuals — it muddied the concept of legality a bit. Expulsion of diplomats — teling Russia West is not interested invdiplomacy. Hostile actions, including most bizzare ones directed against Russian individuals are very tellling. And all hostile initiativvez always understanen by West, giving Russia little choice but to resoond.
What does it say? One side definitely is not interested in cooling doown. Cheerfully wants to ratchet tensions up, Russia cannot under such circumstances donanything to appease.
Such actions by Europe and US are clear unmistakeabke signal that they wish to revert to era of open hatred towards the untermenschen. This is not tge first time in history, Erasing culture is part of the entire undertaking.
What we see is so far beyond anything ear related.
Wars hae not been outlawed as far as I know. But there are different kind of wars. This war from day one was designed to maje it impossible for Russia to avoid. Wholesale expulsion of Russian population and culture from Ukraine was deliberate provocation. None of it neccessary as Minsk Agrernent showed.
So, why? It was a calculated risk aimed at Russia with expectations that Russia was to crumble internally due to economic imact. Regime change was fuly expected. Nilutary breakdown fully expected. International isolation fully expected.
But Russia imposed a protracted, grinding war in which its airforce barely participated.
At this juncture — is there anythingvRusdia can do to imporove diplomatic relations? It is a cultural and economic war imposed by NATO — I cannot ser how this can be cured by diplimatic initiatives on Russia’s part.
I am curious if anyone has ideas as to what specifically Russia can do to change this dynamic of hostility around?
I think Medvedev had it right. Close the Embassy and have no further dealings with the Poles until they replace their regime with one that reflects the interests of Poland rather than NATO.
The officials of USA/NATO powers are a bunch of uncivilized thugs.
They don’t honor even basic diplomatic habits and laws. Our heads of state are just uncivilized thugs.
Poles are just a part of it.
If Biden cared about peace, things like that could not happen when you need trust and diplomacy to govern.
Poland is a little yapping dog trying to provoke a war with a greater power it cant win on it’s own so it drags everyone else along with it… They’ve always been thus.
here is the irony of the poland IMO = they were united with soviet russia against the nazi germany who were both of them’s mortal enemies – and now poland seems to have conveniently forgotten all about that minor tidbit of history.
They also forgot about trusting England and France from coming to the rescue instead of making a deal with Germany over it’s lost real-estate If they had thrown in with Russia they wouldn’t even have to do that.
Oh — no, no. Poland’s history is not that straight forward. Before WWII Poland was hostile to Soviet Union AND Germany. Put great faith in British promises. In fact it went to great lenghts to rstchet up tensions. This is fascinating history. It cannot be understood without understanding the role of Vatican in its governance -/ until today. It all cane crashing down on Poland as Hitler’s preparations for war on Rusdia were complete. Russia’s atttemptv at diplomacy (Ribentrop-Molotov) was desparate bying time. Russia barely survived civil war with Trotsky, and was utterly unprepared for war. It was moving its military industry beyond Urals to avoid destruction. Hitler knew the situation and walked over Poland — declaring warv on Russia.
But in occupied Poland initial resistance against Germans led by doomed clergy, was quickly put out. This was folled up by Vatican replacing most senior clergy with younger generation with instruction of neutrality. What happened to Polsnd after that was instructive. There was a large movement supporting Hitler. Many concentration camos were placed in Poland to house not just Jews, but any captured Soviet prisoners of war. Poland’s participation in running camps has been obscured due to deference to Vatican. Same is true of enthusiastic Nazi collaboration in Croatia, Baltic states, Hungary, Romannus and Western Ukrsine.
It is also true of many European countries thatvdid not offer any residtance to Hitler. To the contrary, they plannef for pan-European organization post-WWII.
Soviet success against Germany was not welcome in the West, The whole half-harted pursuit of Nazi collaborators was obvious tell take sign. Vatican’s control over many refugee camps after the war resukted in Red Cross Passports given to thousands of big and small collabotarors to emigrate to Latin America.
It gas not been long since end of war that Western workd tapped into anger of losing side to precipitate Cold War, Population of Eastern Europe, Baltics, West Ukraine were all encouraged to stand against communism, to become heroic disidents, and none were so enthusiastic as former Nazi collaborators, sympathizers and their offspring, The end of Cold War brought them to power. A brilliant move — let East Europeans and Russians kill each other, reduce undesireable population and profit.
This time Poland is again putting all faith in ally far away while making both Rusdians and Germans mad. US is the knight in shining armor. Only this time Germany has been de-indusrialized and not a factor any more.
Excrpt. Germany took large delegation to China to open fatories there, so did France. Lack of energy is forcing these moves. It was expected German industry to migrate to US. But US has no builtvin customer base. China snd Asia are big customers, and Germany can outsource its export production to China whike downsizing domestic production to meet demands of customers in the region.
Polsnd always takes extreme positions and cannot adopt to changes. What we see is shift in business models. Rusdia is miving away from retail and going more wholesale in energy distribution and related investments such as in China, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey.
After Germany and France explired new busines model with China, we here conciliatory noises comming from British foreign mimister.
They will all have to smooth relationship with Russia as a consequence. Transit corridors accross Eurasia are being built rapidly, East to West and Nirth to South, Iran’s integration into tge region is big part of the new continental trade routes.
The USA refuses to honor international agreements and the Poles think they can too, after all they are in NATO and NATO has to defend them no matter what.
In Paris a French helicopter hoovered above the Russian embassy too, the diplomats are getting expelled or contacts closed preventing them to do their jobs. Lowlife criminal behavior of so-called civilized NATO MEMBERS. Lowlife, cheap American officials, nothing to be proud of, real statesmen we don’t have.
The egregious behavior of the Poles against the Russian embassy school for the children of the Russian diplomats is against all diplomatic courtesies and diplomatic habits.
Childish petulance, … definitely not the act of a strong party. So actually a good sign. Russia should treat it with indifference.
“”Polish officials said the building (russian children’s school) was owned by Warsaw’s city hall and claimed it was taken by Russia illegally.“”
right then. at some point in the past the polacks had to have said = “here you go Ivans, yalls can use this building here for a school for the russian embassy’s children”.
it could not have happened any other way, and for the polacks to now claim that “russian diplomats seized that building illegally” is beyond the pale.