Brussels, Washington, Beijing – Geostrategic Conditions for Poland (Part I)
On 25 November 2025, during the Forum of Local and Regional Authorities in Zakopane, a debate titled “Brussels, Washington, Beijing – Geostrategic Conditions for Poland” was held, devoted to the place of our country within the shifting balance of power between the EU, the USA, China, and Russia. The discussion focused on how long Poland can maintain a high “defensive guard” amid current geopolitical tensions and whether it can avoid the role of the periphery in a world of major players.
The panel was moderated by Piotr Kłodkowski, Professor, Jagiellonian University.
The panelists were:
Marek Kuchciński, Member of Parliament, Sejm of the Republic of Poland;
Zbigniew Parafianowicz, Journalist, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna;
Jarosław Gromadziński, President of the Management Board, Academy Defence24;
Wojciech Nowiak, Professor, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań;
Marcin Przydacz, Secretary of State – Head of the Bureau of International Policy, Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland.
The panel participants emphasized that Poland still does not fully utilize its potential at the European and global level – both in terms of military capabilities and “mental capabilities,” meaning the ability to conduct a conscious strategic game. Attention was drawn to the effectiveness of Russian narratives and the fact that the way Poland is spoken about in the Western world is often discrediting and limits our room for maneuver.
Jarosław Gromadziński noted that Poland should stop being an “island of capabilities” and instead become a security integrator in the region. In the face of the United States shifting its priorities toward the Indo-Pacific, two strong links in Europe gain particular importance: the Baltic and the Romanian-Carpathian ones. Russia’s growing dependence on China was assessed as a potential window of opportunity for strengthening Poland’s position in Central Europe.
Meanwhile, Marek Kuchciński warned against the concept of an openly hegemonic Poland in the region, stressing the need to build equal alliances instead of dominance, which could reinforce negative stereotypes and “complexes” among neighboring countries. He pointed out that the priority should first be strengthening Poland internally – institutionally and economically – and only then pursuing assertive diplomacy, including through Carpathian cooperation and developing a common stance on the situation in Belarus.
The debate opened the first part of a series devoted to Polish geostrategy and demonstrated that the key challenge in the coming years will be simultaneously benefiting from the pillars of the EU and NATO while maintaining autonomy in relations with Washington, Brussels, and Beijing.
