Poland plans to train a military unit composed of conscription-age Ukrainians living in the country, the Polish foreign ministry has revealed.
Speaking at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Prague, Radosław Sikorski was asked if it was possible that NATO troops, including Polish ones, could be posted to Ukraine.
“Poland considered the Ukrainian request regarding training, but we came to the conclusion that it would be safer and more efficient to train a Ukrainian unit composed of Ukrainians in Poland who are subject to conscription into the Ukrainian army,” said Sikorski.
He did not reveal any further details regarding the plans.
– Bezpieczniej i wydajniej będzie wyszkolić ukraińską jednostkę w Polsce – powiedział minister spraw zagranicznych @sikorskiradek. Szef polskiej dyplomacji był pytany o ewentualne wysłanie żołnierzy NATO na Ukrainę.https://t.co/VqJkaO2NJh
— tvn24 (@tvn24) May 31, 2024
In February this year, Poland’s Office for Foreigners (UdSC), a state body, published data showing that around 950,000 Ukrainians are in Poland as refugees while a further 536,000 have temporary or long-term residence permits.
Among those with refugee status, 63% are women and children, said UdSC at the time. It did not reveal the age composition of the remaining 37% consisting of adult men, nor any demographic details of the Ukrainians with residence permits.
Last month, Poland’s defence minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, said that the Polish government was ready to help Ukraine bring back men who are subject to compulsory military service but are living in Poland.
Warsaw says it can help Ukraine bring back men who are living in Poland despite being subject to military service back home.
The Polish defence minister says there are "justified grievances" among both Poles and Ukrainians against those avoiding the draft https://t.co/clGnh6vkZN
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) April 25, 2024
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has been among Kyiv’s closest allies, providing humanitarian, military, financial and diplomatic support.
That policy, begun under the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government, has continued under the new administration led by Donald Tusk that took power in December 2023.
Earlier this week, Sikorski commented on reports that Poland was among NATO countries considering sending its own troops to Ukraine. He said that the idea “should not be ruled out”.
Two false reports claiming that Poland is mobilising 200,000 citizens for military service and sending them to Ukraine appeared on the website of the Polish Press Agency.
Senior officials, including Prime Minister @donaldtusk, have blamed Russian hackers https://t.co/VY2DAqsHLc
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) May 31, 2024
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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.
