Poland’s defense minister addresses whether country send troops to Ukraine
Poland will not send troops to Ukraine (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Poland will not send its troops to Ukraine after the war as part of a peacekeeping mission, according to Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
According to the Polish official, the country’s key tasks include protecting NATO’s eastern flank and securing the Polish-Belarusian border, where 5,000–6,000 servicemen are constantly maintaining security, as well as providing infrastructure and logistics for a potential peacekeeping mission.
“We have other tasks that need to be carried out, and right now it’s about our relations with our allies, who fully understand Poland’s position,” he emphasized.
The minister stated that in this process, tens, hundreds, or even thousands of Polish soldiers will be deployed on Polish territory to ensure the security of allied troops stationed in Poland or deployed in Ukraine.
“We will not send Polish soldiers to Ukraine. This is the government’s position not for a week, but for many months,” he said.
According to Kosiniak-Kamysz, this position is shared not only by the governing coalition but by all Poles.
However, the fact that Poland will not send its troops to Ukraine does not mean it is not participating in the Coalition of the Willing, i.e., countries supporting Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia.
The Polish Defense Minister emphasized that he has repeatedly discussed with colleagues from France, Germany, Italy, and the UK the role of Poland as a country providing support for a potential allied mission in Ukraine. He noted that the commanders of the French and British armies, who have taken on the organization of the philosophy of the Coalition of the Willing, fully understand Poland’s role.
Coalition of the Willing
A union of 30 countries was created by EU leaders to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.
Ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the US, the coalition announced its readiness to deploy deterrent forces on Ukrainian territory.
As reported by RBC-Ukraine, after a meeting at the White House between European officials and US President Donald Trump, about 10 countries expressed their willingness to send troops to Ukraine.
Negotiations regarding the deployment of troops to Ukraine are expected to take place in the coming days. They will involve NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and the defense ministers of the Alliance’s member states.
