Polish leaders are taking great steps to preserve freedom while also protecting neighboring countries – an approach to foreign policy that is consistent with their history.
On February 20, 2026, the Polish government announced that it would once again employ “antipersonnel land mines” along its eastern border after not doing so for more than a decade. This decision came after Poland withdrew from a treaty banning the use of these mines because of their considerable risk to harm civilians.
Poland serves as the rearguard of Ukraine, assisting millions of refugees as the conflict with Russia continues. From food and shelter to billions of dollars in military aid, Poland has been a huge support to Ukraine as they fight for their freedom.
Today, Poland also plays a major role in protecting NATO. “As NATO adapts to a new era of sustained strategic competition, Poland’s experience offers a model for deterrence, resilience, and Allied solidarity across the Euro-Atlantic area,” said the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in 2025.
In the eyes of the world, Poland was nonexistent as a country for more time than they’ve been free. The Polish people are intimately familiar with feelings of abandonment, betrayal, and misunderstanding, and as a result, they have given their country a motto of hope: Za naszą i waszą wolność (For our freedom and yours). Their traditions and culture, including this powerful motto, have shaped their diplomacy for hundreds of years and continue to do so today.
The Russian state has been a continual threat to Poland since its beginning. “On August 5, 1772, Russia, Prussia, and Austria signed a treaty that partitioned Poland.” This treaty was designed to distract Russia and its attempts at conquering neighboring countries and instead focus its attention on Poland, which at the time was weak and vulnerable. After two additional land partitions in 1793 and 1795, the country of Poland ceased to exist.
The Poles, forever loyal to their land and heritage, staged a rebellion attempting to free themselves from the grip of the Russian Empire and reclaim their sovereignty. The November Uprising (1830-1831), a valiant but ultimately futile attempt by the Poles to free themselves from the tangle of Russia, did, however, bring about one positive result: the widespread recognition of the Polish motto. “During the war against Russia, the slogan [for our freedom and yours] was to signify that the Polish victory would also mean liberty for the peoples of Russia and that the uprising was aimed not at the Russian nation but at the despotic tsarist regime.”
Considering Poland’s unique history and complicated past, it is understandable why government leaders are taking such a proactive approach to protecting their borders. A country wiped from the map for 123 years, the history of Poland and its people is one of resilience, faith, and an unconquerable spirit. While heartrending struggles, including political and economic turmoil, have broken other countries apart, these experiences have united the Polish people in forging an unyielding bond, allowing them to help bolster other desperate nations.
Gracie is a freshman at John Adams College. She loves flowers, libraries, dark chocolate, experiencing new cultures, and thinking deeply.
