Poland’s bugging scandal highlights the need for a more pragmatic Polish foreign policy over Ukraine and Russia

Leaked recordings of conversations involving government ministers and state officials have created intense controversy in Poland. Krzysztof Śliwiński writes that while at the domestic level the scandal has put the government under significant pressure, perhaps the most important implications are for Polish foreign affairs. He argues that the negative comments on relations between Poland and the United States made by Radosław Sikorski, the Polish Mister of Foreign Affairs, raise questions about the orientation of the country’s foreign policy, suggesting that a more pragmatic approach should be adopted in dealing with the country’s EU partners and Russia.