Tusk speaks out on Polish troops in Ukraine, and it’s final
Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland (Photo: Getty Images)
Polish authorities have no plans to deploy a military contingent to Ukraine. This comes amid Washington’s suggestion that European forces could potentially monitor a ceasefire, should agreements be reached between Kyiv and Moscow. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk made the statement, reports TVP Info.
In an interview, the head of Poland’s ruling party reiterated Warsaw’s firm stance on the matter.
“We will not send Polish troops to Ukraine,” emphasized Prime Minister Donald Tusk, addressing the hypothetical participation of Polish forces in any peacekeeping mission following the end of Russian aggression.
Explaining Warsaw’s position, the Polish Prime Minister noted that the country’s priority is to secure its borders with Russia and Belarus.
Tusk added that Poland’s goal is to organize a hub for transferring weapons and aid to Ukraine.
His remarks came in response to comments made by US President Biden’s special envoy for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg.
Context of Tusk’s statement
It’s important to note that Poland, a member of the Coalition of the Willing, has repeatedly stated it does not plan to send troops to Ukraine.
Notably, Prime Minister Donald Tusk - co-founder and leader of the Civic Platform party - reaffirmed this consistent stance amid recent comments by presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki from the ruling Law and Justice party, who advanced to the second round of elections.
On May 20, Nawrocki announced he was willing to promise to withdraw support for Ukraine’s NATO membership in exchange for political backing from Slawomir Mentzen, leader of the far-right Confederation party. Mentzen is known for his openly anti-Ukrainian stance.
Mentzen supports blocking the border and opposes sending Polish troops to Ukraine. He also attracted controversy for his visit to Lviv on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Poland’s position on sending troops to Ukraine
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has previously explained that Warsaw is focused on defending the eastern flank - its borders with Russia and Belarus.
This stance was recently reaffirmed on May 13, when Poland’s Ministry of Defense categorically rejected a US proposal to deploy Polish soldiers to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission. The ministry emphasized that Poland will continue playing a key role in logistics and support for aid to Ukraine.
Back in late March, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that he believes the best guarantee of Ukraine’s security is a strong Ukrainian army.
