The Polish-Ukrainian conflict over Eastern Galicia in the statements and reports of representatives of the Entente Countries

Abstract

Abstract. On November 1, 1918, Polish-Ukrainian battles for Lviv began, sparking the conflict over Eastern Galicia. Both sides aimed to gain control over the entire disputed territory. The aim of the article was to show that this conflict was a subject of interest on the part of the Entente countries, which tried to impose conditions on both warring parties to end the conflict. The innovation of this article is its use of little-known Polish, French, British, and American sources, primarily from the Paris Peace Conference. These include not only statements by the leaders of the French, American, and British governments, but also accounts and opinions of their representatives from the battlefields. These are significantly supplemented by the memoirs of participants in those events and press articles. The author comes to the conclusion that diplomatic efforts of the Entente countries proved unsuccessful, as neither the Poles nor the Ukrainians were willing to abandon their claims to Eastern Galicia. Ultimately, the fate of the region was decided by military strength, which favored the Poles. Another factor contributing to the end of the fighting was the growing belief that, in the face of the increasing threat from Bolshevik Russia, Poles and Ukrainians should cooperate to resist it. This belief led to the military and political alliance between Piłsudski and Petlura in April 1920.