Polish troops to not be sent to Ukraine
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has denied the words of the US special envoy for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, that after the introduction of a ceasefire in Ukraine, Polish troops should supposedly be deployed west of the Dnipro River outside the contact zone, the Polish edition of Wprost reported on Wednesday.
"General Kellogg may have overestimated the idea that Poland would participate in this operation if it takes place. But, as the Minister of Defense, the Prime Minister and I have repeatedly noted, our participation in this operation will not involve Polish soldiers on Ukrainian soil. It will be airlift support, it will be the protection of a nodal point and, above all, it will be the protection of our more than 600-kilometer border with Russia and Belarus to protect the troops heading to Ukraine," Sikorski said.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs recalled that "literally 12 days ago, in an incriminating article, he confirmed from the podium of the Sejm that Polish soldiers are not going to Ukraine." Sikorski also published a fragment of a post on the X platform, in which he wrote: "Stop manipulating, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense and I consistently repeat: Poland will NOT send Polish soldiers to Ukraine."
According to the publication, Polish Defense Minister also Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz assures that there are no plans to send Polish soldiers to Ukraine. "There are and will not be any plans to send troops to Ukraine. Poland bears joint responsibility for the defense of NATO's eastern flank and for the logistical support of its neighbor, which was attacked," he noted.
His corresponding post on the X social network with a short comment "confirmed" was retweeted by Sikorski. The next day, politicians expanded on their words in the media.
Later, the head of the Ministry of National Defense explained that "the role of Poland as a country providing logistics and infrastructure for a possible European mission in Ukraine is being discussed." He also called Kellogg's words "a kind of simplification and emphasis on Poland's role in the peace process."
Kosiniak-Kamysz also expressed hope that Polish President Andrzej Duda had not changed his opinion on this issue, which he expressed at the National Security Council.
As reported, Kellogg said on Tuesday on Fox News that the United States is discussing the deployment of a military contingent of Great Britain, France, Germany and Poland on Ukrainian territory west of the Dnipro River.