Stanowisko Rosji i Niemiec wobec akcesji Polski do NATO
Russia and Germany’s Stance on Poland’s Accession to NATO

Summary/Abstract: This article deals with Poland’s accession to NATO and the stance of Russia and Germany towards the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Poland after 1989. The attitude of the Soviet Union and, after its collapse in 1991, of the Russian Federation towards Poland’s membership in NATO was negative, making our negotiations on this issue difficult. Despite the initial prom- ises of German politicians, Germany’s stance towards Poland’s membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was not so unambiguous and enthusiastic. However, it slowly evolved from negative to more favourable. It was determined by the difficult internal Ger- man situation after the reunification of Germany and its new geopolitical and geoeconomic position. More important for Germany, which reunified on 3 October 1990, were such issues as the presence of Soviet troops on the territory of the former German Democratic Repub- lic, the normalisation of relations with its neighbours and with the Soviet Union and the United States. Initially, France and the United Kingdom, as well as the Soviet Union and, to a lesser extent, the United States, feared German unification and were also opposed to Polish membership in the Euro-Atlantic partnership, especially NATO. The West feared that German reunification and NATO enlargement to the East might upset the existing balance of power in Europe and disrupt the dialogue with the USSR on security issues and international detente, ongoing since 1985. However, after ten years of consistent Euro-Atlantic policy, on 12 March 1999, Poland became a member of NATO, which is the guarantor of our national security and the central pillar of the Euro-Atlantic system ensuring international security for Europe and the world.

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