Lublin Triangle Is One of Key Elements of Ukraine’s New Security Strategy

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba summed up the results of the first year of activity of the new regional alliance, the Lublin Triangle, and outlined its 10 priorities.

“Thanks to the Lublin Triangle, Ukraine is being established as an active participant in international politics. Ukraine is shaping a new vision of an international security strategy in which we will not depend on major alliances. We form our own regional associations with countries with which we have close historical, political, and economic ties, common values, and goals,” he stressed.

As Kuleba noted, nine meetings took place within the Lublin Triangle just over the first year of its activity: three meetings of foreign ministers, one meeting of national coordinators of the Lublin Triangle, two meetings of heads of national security agencies, and three meetings of parliamentarians. The Youth Lublin Triangle was founded in the spring.

The minister mentioned two statements by the Triangle countries regarding the events in Belarus and the anniversary of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people. He said that the Lublin Triangle ministers had signed four documents over the year: the Lublin Declaration, the Roadmap for Cooperation, the Joint Plan to Combat Disinformation, and the Declaration on Joint European Heritage and Values.

Ukraine‘s chief diplomat outlined 10 priorities of the Lublin Triangle:

1. Counteraction to the aggressive policy of the Russian Federation
2. Military and defence cooperation using the potential of NATO and the EU, where the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade is indispensable
3. Cybersecurity and fight against misinformation
4. Elimination of the COVID-19 pandemic effects
5. Economic cooperation, counteraction to illegal financial flows and tax crimes, coordination in the field of labour migration
6. Energy cooperation, counteraction to the implementation of Nord Stream2 project
7. Cultural, scientific, and educational cooperation, youth exchanges
8. Coordination within other regional formats and international organisations
9. Issues of border crossing, combating violations of customs regulations, phytosanitary certification
10. Cooperation of security institutions

“The Lublin Triangle is part of Ukraine’s strategy to create a security belt between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. It is one of the regional alliances that strengthens our security and brings Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO closer,” he stressed.

Kuleba stated that the Lublin Triangle created a real alternative to the political “Russian world” in our part of Europe: “Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania will never return to the Russian sphere of influence. For Belarus, the Lublin Triangle is a real alternative for the future. We will help the Belarusian people to build a just state that has a European future and in which human rights are protected. When Belarus embarks on a democratic, European path of development, Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania will be ready to consider its accession to our format.”

Background

The Lublin Triangle is a trilateral format of cooperation between Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland, created by the ministers of foreign affairs in July 2020 to recognise the centuries-old historical and cultural ties between the three peoples. The format emphasises the role of Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania in the formation of modern political, cultural, and social realities of Central Europe.

The total area of the Lublin Triangle countries is almost 1 million sq km. The population exceeds 80 million. Trilateral trade already reaches $8 billion.

The Triangle has a common military unit. The brigade unites more than 3,500 service members from Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.

Currently, the final stage of military exercises of the Lublin Triangle countries and the United States, Three Swords 2021, is ongoing in Ukraine. It involves more than 1,200 servicepersons and more than 200 combat vehicles.

Natalia Tolub