Poland to donate thousands of guns to Ukraine

Poland will donate thousands of guns and millions of rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, interior minister Mariusz Kamiński has announced during a meeting in Rzeszów with his Ukrainian counterpart, Ihor Klymenko. Poland will also provide assistance in the medical treatment of wounded Ukrainians.

The weapons will be transferred to the Ukrainian police force, military police and border guard. Kamiński noted that such units are involved in fighting Russia’s occupation, including on the front lines.

“Weapons are the most important thing [for them] at this point,” said Kamiński, quoted by the Polish Press Agency (PAP). “We will soon start delivering…thousands of machine guns and millions of rounds of ammunition, which will allow the defenders of Ukraine’s and Europe’s freedom to fight effectively.”

He also announced that a Polish medical train would be used to transport injured officers from Ukraine to interior ministry hospitals in Poland for treatment. The ministry will also provide medical equipment for Ukrainian hospitals.

Klymenko thanked Poland for the help it has provided to Ukraine “from the first days of the war”. He noted that this has recently included providing equipment to pump water out of homes following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. Polish fire service vehicles have also been helping to deliver drinking water.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Poland has been one of Kyiv’s closest allies, providing military and humanitarian aid, hosting millions of Ukrainian refugees, and pushing diplomatically for a tougher international line against Russia.

Main image credit: MWSiA (under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL)

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.