Peace of Riga — peace treaty between Soviet Russia, Ukraine and Poland, signed on March 18, 1921 in Riga
Ended the Polish–Soviet War and fixed the eastern border of interwar Poland until the Soviet invasion of 1939.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 18 March 1921
- Border offset from Curzon Line
- ~250 km east
- Chief negotiator (Poland)
- Jan Dąbski
- Chief negotiator (Soviet side)
- Adolph Joffe
- Treaty duration
- 1921–1939 (until Soviet invasion)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Polish–Soviet War (1919–1921) left both sides exhausted. Poland sought to secure eastern territories while Soviet Russia and Ukraine needed to stabilize their western frontier. Diplomats from both sides opened negotiations to formalize a ceasefire and establish a permanent border between the newly formed states.
On 18 March 1921, Poland and Soviet Russia (acting for Soviet Belarus and Soviet Ukraine) signed the Treaty of Riga. The agreement delineated a border roughly 250 kilometres east of the Curzon Line, had Poland recognize Soviet Ukraine and Belarus while renouncing recognition of the Ukrainian People's Republic, and addressed citizenship, minorities, repatriation, and commercial relations.
The treaty incorporated large Ukrainian and Belarusian populations into the Second Polish Republic and formally ended Poland's federation programme. Soviet Russia gained international recognition of its western frontier. The boundary held until the USSR invaded Poland in September 1939, after which a new border agreement was imposed in 1945.
Political Outcome
Poland and Soviet Russia/Ukraine established a permanent border ~250 km east of the Curzon Line, ending the Polish–Soviet War and settling issues of sovereignty, minorities, and diplomatic relations.
Active armed conflict between Poland and Soviet Russia/Ukraine with contested eastern frontiers
Formalized border ~250 km east of Curzon Line; large Ukrainian and Belarusian minorities incorporated into Poland; Soviet western frontier stabilized