Poland reveals scope of 47th military aid package for Ukraine
Piotr Łukasiewicz (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Poland is preparing its 47th aid package for Ukraine. Compared to 2022, the nature of support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine has changed, said Piotr Łukasiewicz, Poland's Chargé d'Affaires in Ukraine.
According to him, Poland was the first to assist during the most dramatic early days of the full-scale invasion.
"We were the first to help and the first to respond with all the capabilities and possibilities that were available, and that helped Ukraine to win the first glorious battles around Kyiv, later on around Kharkiv, and around Kherson. So, we made it possible with our assistance," he said.
Łukasiewicz noted that Poland's capabilities are evolving — and so is the nature of its support.
"We are not talking anymore about tanks, but rather about the ammo, about the training of Ukrainian forces. Roughly speaking, it's almost 30,000 soldiers who were trained in the territory of Poland. I believe it's one of the biggest numbers among the allies," explained the chargé d'affaires.
In addition to training, Poland continues to provide material assistance — ammunition, and various forms of support. Łukasiewicz recalled the well-known case of Starlink.
"Starlink routers, I believe half of them, so fantastically used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, are sponsored by Poland; actually, the contract is on our side. So that's worth remembering that we are helping, maybe not with the heavy stuff, but with the badly needed capabilities that Ukraine requires so much," he said.
Łukasiewicz emphasized that military assistance is ongoing.
"We delivered, I believe, already the 46th package worth something around 200 million euros. We are at the moment preparing another package, 47th, more or less of the same value," he added.
Starlink for Ukraine
In early March, a dispute arose between US and Polish officials regarding Starlink's role in Ukraine. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated that Starlink is critical for the Ukrainian military and warned that if the terminals were disabled, "the Ukrainian front line would collapse."
In response, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that Starlink services for Ukraine are being paid for by Warsaw. He added that if Musk were to disconnect the terminals, the contract would be terminated.
The dispute prompted a reaction from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who clarified that no one had threatened to cut Ukraine off from Starlink.
