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Poland has no plans to send troops to Ukraine as part of a potential stabilization mission, but it will remain a central member of the Coalition of the Willing, functioning as the coalition’s main logistics and operational hub, according to former Polish Defense Minister Janusz Onyszkiewicz, in an interview with Ukrinform.
Onyszkiewicz said the specific location within Poland for the Coalition’s upcoming military exercises matters less than the fact that they’re happening at all. “There are many places in Poland where these exercises can be held. The important thing is that they will take place. The Coalition of the Willing is working intensively and developing various operational concepts,” he said.
He explained that Coalition members are preparing for a scenario in which active fighting in Ukraine eventually stops, which would require an international military presence to ensure compliance with any resulting agreements. “The Coalition members assume that if the war in Ukraine is frozen in some way, it will have to be monitored, including through a military presence on Ukrainian territory. The United Kingdom and France have already declared their readiness for this. The exercises will be based on precisely such a scenario,” he said.
However, Onyszkiewicz emphasized that Poland’s contribution to the Coalition would look different from that of some other members. “Poland does not plan to send its combat units to Ukraine. However, it is central to the Coalition’s activities as an operational base and logistics hub. Transport routes will pass through Poland, making Warsaw’s participation in the Coalition extremely important, although its role differs from that of Paris or London,” he said.
He attributed Poland’s hesitation to deploy combat troops mainly to domestic political factors, noting that a firm commitment to send combat units to Ukraine could spark intense political debate at home, particularly with parliamentary elections approaching in autumn 2027. He suggested waiting to see the election outcome before revisiting the issue.
As previously reported, French President Emmanuel Macron said after the July 13 Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris that the multinational force backing Ukraine is already operationally ready and will hold military exercises in countries neighboring Ukraine in the coming months, rehearsing a potential deployment following a ceasefire. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk later announced that the first such exercises will take place in Poland this autumn, with Poland acting as both host and participant.
