NATO and Russia: Kaczyński's comments irk Russia

Polish President Lech Kaczyński caused another diplomatic dust-up with Russia last week, when he appeared to indicate that Poland's lifting of its veto on EU-Russia partnership talks was contingent on Russia ending its opposition to Ukrainian and Georgian NATO membership.

"I must tie these two issues together, even though I would prefer not to," the president said in an interview with the Reuters news agency. "We certainly should talk, we certainly should build an atmosphere in which mistrust is reduced. But whether the strategic [EU-Russia] talks can be unblocked in the near future is another matter," he continued. "I would first like to know how the issue of the MAP [Membership Action Plan] for Ukraine and Georgia is going to be resolved."

The remarks were immediately met with sharp rhetoric from Russia, which warned Poland that attempts to link European Union partnership negotiations with NATO membership for former Soviet states risked making the EU a hostage to the military alliance.

"If Poland wants to make the EU a hostage to NATO then they are going about it in the right way," Interfax news agency quoted an unidentified senior Russian foreign ministry official as saying.

On Thursday, President Kaczyński sought to soften his remarks. Asked at a news conference if Poland was setting a condition to lift its veto of the EU-Russia talks, he said, "There was not such a formulation [in the interview]. I said that we should consider this ... I said that we should not rush with the [EU-Russia] talks."

An official at the president's office said that Kaczynski's remarks had been misinterpreted by some media.

The European Commission urged Poland not to hamper dialogue with Moscow. (Reuters)