Over the weekend, German media reported that Polish and Baltic state troops might be deployed in Ukraine if Russia breaches the current frontlines. However, the Polish Ministry of Defense has categorically denied any plans to send Polish soldiers to Ukraine.
“We are not considering the idea of sending Polish soldiers to Ukraine; there are no such plans. We call for special caution regarding the credibility of information appearing in the media space,” the ministry stated in response to a question from the Wirtualna Polska news outlet regarding reports in the German press.
Over the weekend, German media reported that Polish and Baltic state troops might be deployed in Ukraine if Russia advances further into Ukraine. According to Der Spiegel, politicians from the Baltic states, during a security conference in Tallinn, Estonia, accused Germany of being overly reserved about military support for Ukraine, which includes Germany’s refusal to grant permission for attacks on targets in Russia using German weapons.
The report also highlighted concerns among Baltic politicians that they, along with Poland, would not wait for Russia to reach their borders, preferring instead to deploy troops to Ukraine to prevent Russian advances. This could potentially draw NATO into the conflict.
A retired Polish general, Stanisław Koziej, expressed concerns that such speculation might be a Russian provocation. He said he believes that NATO, as a whole, is not prepared for such an engagement. He insisted that Poland and other states should continue to support Ukraine militarily, albeit without deploying ground troops.
However, Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Andrii Deshchytsia, told the Polish daily Gazeta Prawna that any troops from Poland and the Baltic states would be most welcome. He noted that some are already present as volunteers and that it would be logical for these countries to intervene should Russia breach the Ukrainian frontlines.
Ambassador Deshchytsia emphasized that while Ukraine understands the risks, it is still advocating for some form of engagement, such as a peace mission. He believes such a mission would send a clear signal of support and show that the coalition backing Ukraine is united and determined.
Experts, including General Koziej, do not rule out the possibility of such a mission but believe it would require a UN, EU, or NATO mandate. He acknowledges that obtaining a UN mandate is unlikely without Russian and Chinese support but recalls that NATO acted in the former Yugoslavia without such a mandate. He suggested that a coalition of willing nations within NATO could potentially launch a multi-state peace mission.
