The Atlantic Council’s annual “Warsaw Week” is a weeklong series of virtual and in-person events organized by the Council’s Warsaw Office.

This year’s Warsaw Week took place between May 22 and May 26, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the relaunch of the Council’s office in Poland.

The 2023 Warsaw Week focused on highlighting US-Poland relations through panels, interviews, and a social media campaign on key topics in the US-Polish relationship, including cooperation on Ukraine, energy security, and the Three Seas Initiative.

Coverage

Playlist of the week’s events

Monday, May 22

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. CET

In-person in Warsaw with hybrid viewing options

Panel 1: The US and Poland: A new agenda for a transatlantic future

Over a year into Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, Poland has shown continuous leadership in providing weapon deliveries and aid to refugees, and in championing Ukraine’s cause on the international stage. These efforts, combined with its planned increase of defense spending to 4 percent of gross domestic product and hosting of a new permanent US military base alongside an arms and weapons depot, have made Poland a linchpin of regional security. Warsaw now has an opportunity to help shape the transatlantic agenda beyond the war, including on global challenges such as China’s increasingly authoritarian actions, climate change, economic resilience, and the rapid growth of new technologies, all of which call for increased US and European leadership.

This panel aims to answer what should be the next steps of the US-Polish partnership. How can Poland and the United States best work to secure a Ukrainian victory against Russia? What role does Poland want to play in Europe’s future? And how can it live up to its full potential as a key voice in the European Union and NATO for security and prosperity?

Featuring
The Hon. Mark Brzezinski, US Ambassador to the Republic of Poland

Dr. Sławomir Dębski, Director, Polish Institute of International Affairs

Amb. Paula Dobriansky, Vice Chair, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council; Former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs; Senior Fellow, Future of Diplomacy Project, Harvard University Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Amb. Daniel Fried, Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council; Former US Ambassador to the Republic of Poland

Amb. John Herbst, Senior Director, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Former US Ambassador to Ukraine

Mr. Wojciech Konończuk, Director, Center for Eastern Studies

Mr. Aaron Korewa, Director, Warsaw Office, Europe Center, Atlantic Council

Mr. Marcin Przydacz, Secretary of State, Office of International Policy, Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland

Tuesday, May 23

10:00 a.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. CET

#AtlanticDebrief episode featuring Oksana Nechyporenko, Director, Ukraine Crisis Coordination Center

Nechyporenko joins Aaron Korewa for an #AtlanticDebrief episode highlighting the support of Polish civil society for Ukrainians. The episode will be streamed here.

Wednesday, May 24

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. CET

In-person in Warsaw with hybrid viewing options

Panel 2: Poland’s energy sector transformation: Decarbonization to combat the Kremlin’s weaponization of energy

Energy blackmail is a key strategy in Putin’s attack on European energy security and the Kremlin’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. Many countries have accelerated their transition away from Russian hydrocarbons, yet more work must still be done to ensure this decoupling continues and is made permanent. Poland is on the leading edge of diversifying its natural gas infrastructure through liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and gas pipelines, and it has taken bold strides to decarbonize its energy mix as outlined in the draft Energy 2040 Policy.

Nevertheless, a secure transformation from coal to low-carbon and clean energy solutions, including gas, nuclear, and wind energy, will be a significant undertaking. This event aims to discuss Poland’s energy strategy to date, outline next steps for Europe’s energy transformation, and unpack how allies such as the United States can play a meaningful role in supporting Poland’s constructive and tangible steps to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian oil and natural gas in synch with decarbonization efforts.

Featuring
Ms. Yelda Guven, Vice President Policy, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions

Ms. Olga Khakova, Deputy Director for European Energy Security, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council

Minister Michał Kurtyka, Distinguished Fellow, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council; Former Minister of Climate of the Republic of Poland

Mr. Robert Rudich, Energy Attaché, US Embassy in the Republic of Poland

Mr. Derek Wong, Vice President, Government Relations and Public Affairs, Excelerate Energy

Thursday, May 25

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. CET

Virtual

Panel 3: The Three Seas Initiative: Where do we go from here?

The Three Seas Initiative has enormous potential to foster the kind of economic growth that will create a backbone for European resilience and fulfill the vision of a Europe whole, free, secure, at peace—and complete. Such a “completed Europe” can better face the challenges posed from hostile outside actors.

This event aims to help develop a Three Seas agenda ahead of the upcoming Summit and Business Forum in Bucharest in the fall. Does the Initiative currently focus on the right kinds of projects? What should its priorities be? How do we secure reliable flows of investment? What will best elevate the Three Seas Initiative: great global awareness efforts? Or is it time for structural change in the form of a permanent secretariat? And what is the role of the Three Seas Initiative in the current and future reconstruction of Ukraine?

Featuring

Mr. George Agafitei, State Counsellor, Government of Romania

Mr. Ian Brzezinski, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council

Ms. Beata Daszyńska-Muzyczka, President of the Management Board, Polish Development Bank BGK

Mr. Maciej Kubicki, Director, Three Seas Secretariat, Office of the President of the Republic of Poland

Amb. Georgette Mosbacher, Co-Chair of Three Seas Programming, Europe Center, Atlantic Council; Former US Ambassador to the Republic of Poland

H.E. Gediminas Varvuolis, Ambassador at Large for Connectivity and the Three Seas Initiative of the Republic of Lithuania

Friday, May 26

10:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. CET

Virtual

#AtlanticDebrief episode featuring H.E. Bogdan Klich,  Chairman, Foreign Affairs and European Union Committee, Senate of the Republic of Poland; Former Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Poland

Chairman Klich joins Aaron Korewa for an #AtlanticDebrief episode highlighting the importance of strengthening Poland’s voice in the European Union. The episode will be streamed on the Europe Center Twitter account.

3:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. CET

Virtual

#AtlanticDebrief episode featuring The Hon. Mark Brzezinski, US Ambassador to the Republic of Poland

Amb. Brzezinski joins Aaron Korewa for an #AtlanticDebrief episode highlighting the bilateral relationship between Poland and the United States. The episode will be streamed on the Europe Center Twitter account.

Speakers

The Europe Center promotes leadership, strategies, and analysis to ensure a strong, ambitious, and forward-looking transatlantic relationship.