On Sunday, a Russian missile targeting Ukraine flew into Polish airspace for 39 seconds before returning into Ukrainian airspace. On Monday, Poland summoned the Russian ambassador to Warsaw, Sergey Andreev, to provide an explanation for the incident.
Andreev didn’t bother to show up at the Polish Foreign Ministry.
That arrogant choice represents an extreme discourtesy that goes against the basic protocols of diplomatic interchange. Either by accident or by design, it was a serious affront for Moscow to allow one of its missiles to enter Polish airspace. But for Russia to reject this diplomatic summons shows utter disdain for Polish sovereignty. Warsaw says it is considering how to respond. But bearing in mind Vladimir Putin’s Soviet-inspired and overt disgust for Poland’s status as a sovereign state, there is only one credible response to this insult: the Polish government should declare Andreev persona non grata and order him home. If not, President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk will signal both Polish and NATO weakness to Moscow.
Sending such a signal would be dangerous. Russia is presently escalating its threats against the West in relation to the war in Ukraine and issues such as last week’s ISIS attack. But psychology also matters here.
After all, Putin, his inner circle, and the Russian people all have a visceral cultural hatred for weakness. They see weakness as tantamount to self-emasculation, something at once astonishing and foul. At the same time, rooted in their varied history and mythology of heroic against-the-odds resistance of foreign invaders and of stoic endurance of hardship in the fields and winters, the Russians have a deep cultural affection for strength. It is critical for Western governments to understand this dichotomy.
While one-sided compromises in Russian favor might earn Putin’s praise and a temporary cooling of tensions, they ultimately only fuel Russia’s appetite to demand more and threaten more. The example of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel underlines this basic truth. Merkel was frequently praised by Moscow but also regularly insulted and manipulated in Russian favor. Ukraine bore the brunt of Merkel’s folly.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Similarly, the Russian leader has made clear the only American president he truly respected was George W. Bush — someone who engaged with him plainly while enforcing American red lines (although Putin didn’t treat Bush that well). For all Trump’s positive rhetoric toward him, Putin had only disdain for Trump, something proven by his soccer ball gift/Henry V tennis balls symbol of adult dominance.
Top line: Poland must not allow Russia to learn that it can breach Polish-NATO airspace, endanger the Polish people, and then refuse even to meet and discuss the issue. If the Russians expel the Polish ambassador to Moscow in retaliation, so be it. Putin must not be allowed to claim the initiative here.
