ABSTRACT
Russian troops—parts of the same old Soviet army, under a thin, weak, brand new, but already worn, political umbrella—are stationed in the Baltic states and in many other, theoretically independent, post- Union of Soviet Socialist Republic territories. Valuable documents on the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Poland are unlikely to see daylight for Warsaw, Washington, and Bonn. Polish Foreign Minister Krzysztof Skubiszewski handed an opening Polish note on the Northern Group of Soviet Forces withdrawal to the Soviet ambassador in Warsaw on September 7, 1990, immediately after the Paris endorsement of Poland's western border. In 1992, unexpectedly, a similar rejection threatened the pro-Russian attitude that Poland manifested within the framework of the two-track Eastern policy. The German government paid a particular political price for ignoring Poland in regard to the transit issue. General Dubynin remained in power, his policies unchanged, and Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev gained no real influence over the last stage of the withdrawal negotiations.
