This 1920 military-economic alliance between Poland and Ukraine aimed to counter Bolshevik Russia but ultimately failed to secure Ukrainian independence.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 21 April 1920
- Military addendum signed
- 24 April 1920
- Polish signatory
- Józef Piłsudski
- Ukrainian signatory
- Symon Petliura
- Superseded by
- Peace of Riga, 1921
- Context
- Signed just before the Polish Kiev Offensive
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Polish-Soviet War, Józef Piłsudski sought allies against Bolshevik Russia and aimed to build a Międzymorze alliance of states. Symon Petliura, leading the Ukrainian People's Republic, viewed an alliance with Poland as the last viable path to establishing an independent Ukrainian state against the advancing Bolshevik forces.
On 21 April 1920, the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic signed the Treaty of Warsaw, a military-economic alliance directed against Bolshevik Russia. A military addendum followed on 24 April. The agreement formalized joint cooperation and occurred immediately before the Polish-led Kiev Offensive.
The treaty produced no lasting political result. The Polish-Soviet War ended with the 1921 Peace of Riga, which divided the contested territories between Soviet Russia and Poland. Ukrainian-claimed lands were split between the Ukrainian SSR in the east and Poland in the west, effectively ending the Ukrainian People's Republic's hopes for independence.
Political Outcome
The alliance failed to secure Ukrainian independence; territories were divided between Soviet Russia and Poland under the 1921 Peace of Riga.
Ukrainian People's Republic sought independent statehood amid Polish-Soviet War
Ukrainian lands divided between the Ukrainian SSR and Poland; UPR dissolved