No plan to send Polish troops to Ukraine: Premier

WARSAW

Poland does not foresee sending its own troops to Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday before flying to Paris for an emergency meeting with European leaders on the embattled country.

“We do not plan to send Polish soldiers to the territory of Ukraine. However, we will also support – in terms of logistics and political support – countries that in the future will want to provide such guarantees,” Tusk told a press conference in Warsaw.

Tusk also urged fellow European countries to boost their defense spending.

“It is crucial for Europe to make financial, organizational and political decisions regarding increasing its military potential,” he said.

He also reiterated US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s claim last week in Warsaw that Poland is “model ally” of the US.

“Poland has a special role to play because it has good relations with the US and spends over 4% of its GDP on defense. We have a special reputation and we have to play a positive role,” he said.

“I want to emphasize with all my strength that Poland is determined to cooperate on the issue of security, Ukraine, and war together with the EU, allies such as the UK, Norway, and the US. Regardless of what someone has to say to each other, sometimes brutally, there is no reason why the allies should not find a common language with each other on the most important issues,” said Tusk.

In the wake of a series of chaotic meetings with members of the new US administration that left members of the EU reeling, and also with the impression that Europe will have to provide for more of its own defense, Tusk called for calm.

“There is no room for the philosophy: either/or. Either the EU or the US. To date, it has been this cooperation, including NATO, that has guaranteed security for both Poland and the West. That is why in Paris I will forestall all voices that would like to introduce a competitive game between the EU and the US because it makes no sense,” he said.

Tuesday’s meeting comes days before the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war, and with the possibility of peace talks in the news, with some European leaders insisting Europe must take a part in any such talks.