Home › Opinion › What did Kyiv and Warsaw make of Skripal fallout?
What did Kyiv and Warsaw make of Skripal fallout?
Summary
A look back at 29 March 2018, after days of diplomatic expulsions and a major Polish arms purchase from the United States.
What was the mood in the region on 29 March 2018, in the days after the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal? Three developments from the preceding days give a sense of it.
On 27 March 2018, NATO and the government of Australia expelled Russian diplomats, part of the international reaction to the poisoning.
The following day, 28 March 2018, Poland signed a deal with the United States to buy a Patriot missile system for US$4.75 billion. The agreement was a notable step in Polish–American relations.
Also on 28 March 2018, Viktor Yushchenko, a former Ukrainian President, called for military action against Russia to be considered. Yushchenko was himself the victim of a poisoning in September 2004, and he drew on that experience when he spoke about the Skripal case. His call was far more forceful than the diplomatic expulsions announced a day earlier.
A region weighing its options
Taken together, these reports show a range of responses at the end of March 2018. Expulsions were the measure that NATO and Australia chose. Poland concentrated on air defence through its purchase from Washington. A former Ukrainian head of state, speaking from personal experience of poisoning, urged that a military option be considered.
For readers in Kyiv and neighbouring capitals, the contrast between these approaches framed the debate as the month closed.
