Poland Will Not Send Troops to Ukraine for Peacekeeping, Defense Minister Says

Poland has ruled out sending its troops to Ukraine as part of any peacekeeping mission following the end of the war with Russia. Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that neighboring countries should not be directly involved in such operations, instead calling for a redistribution of responsibilities within NATO.

Speaking to Financial Times, Kosiniak-Kamysz stated, “When a peace plan emerges, we will discuss it, but border states should not in any way send their troops to Ukraine. There needs to be greater burden sharing and diversification within NATO.”

The minister also expressed Poland’s support for NATO members increasing their defense spending to 5% of GDP, a proposal advocated by US President-elect Donald Trump. Kosiniak-Kamysz acknowledged the challenge some countries might face in meeting this target, noting it could take up to a decade for certain nations.

Kosiniak-Kamysz highlighted that while other nations provided Ukraine with limited support early in the war, Poland delivered tanks, underscoring its significant aid to Kyiv.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit to Poland reportedly included talks about potential French and Polish troop deployments to Ukraine. However, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk later reaffirmed that Poland has no plans to send troops as part of a peacekeeping mission, even if a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia is reached.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to visit Ukraine in the coming weeks to discuss the potential deployment of British troops as part of a post-war peacekeeping mission. Zelenskyy noted that the initiative, originally proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, could serve as an element of Ukraine’s future security guarantees.