Warsaw says its support for Kiev will continue, but it will not deploy troops to the country
Polish army seen crossing the Vistula River during the NATO Dragon 24 military exercise on March 5, 2024 in Korzeniewo, Poland. © Getty Images / DeFodi Images News / Mateusz Slodkowski
Warsaw will not send troops to Ukraine, yet it is set to continue helping Kiev via other means, Polish Defense Minister Wladysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has said.
The minister was asked about the likelihood that NATO might deploy troops to Ukraine as he spoke to the broadcaster TVN24 on Thursday. While Kosiniak-Kamysz avoided speaking for the whole US-led bloc, he stated that “the Polish Army will not be in Ukraine.”
“We will help, we will continue the support. We are making further donations of equipment. There is a lot to it,” the minister stated.
Warsaw also supports and participates in all of NATO’s joint initiatives, such as providing intelligence and training to the Ukrainian forces, Kosiniak-Kamysz said. The minister also described Poland as “the leader together with Germany” of the “coalition” to supply tanks and other armored vehicles to Kiev.
The enduring support of Kiev is beneficial for Poland itself, and Warsaw regards it as an “investment,” he noted.
“All these initiatives are aimed at making Poland safe. Helping the Ukrainian army is an investment in Poland’s security,” he explained.
Poland was once one of the top backers of Ukraine in the ongoing conflict with Russia, lavishing military aid on the country and urging other Western nations to follow suit. In recent months, however, the ties have seemingly grown colder, largely due to Poland’s internal economic troubles and the ongoing protests of local farmers, hurt by the flow of cheap Ukrainian agricultural produce.
The minister’s remarks come amid the continuing wave of denial from NATO members that they harbor any plans to deploy combat troops to Ukraine, triggered by a statement French President Emmanuel Macron made in late February. At the time, Macron said the West “cannot exclude” the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine, for which he faced a backlash from most members of the US-led bloc.
The pushback, however, has seemingly left Macron unshaken, with the French president producing increasingly belligerent remarks and insisting that Western Europeans “will have to live up to history and the courage that it requires.”
