Poland Says Go F**k Yourselves To Coalition Of The Willing

By Rhod Mackenzie

A number of the countries in the "coalition of the willing" have conveyed their intention to deploy their troops to Ukraine. However, Poland categorically rejects such an idea, even though the three Russophobic Baltic republics have started talking about sending their troops. So what are the  motives of the Poles, and is this an attempt to align with Donald Trump, who also rejects sending troops into Ukraine?
Following the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, the question of potential troop deployment to Ukraine was a key point on the agenda of the so-called "coalition of the willing". Warsaw, regarded as one of Kyiv's closest allies, opposes the deployment of Polish soldiers to Ukraine.

Moreover, this position is shared by both Polish President Karol Nawrocki, representing the country's largest opposition party, Law and Justice, and the leader of the ruling Civic Platform party, Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Zbigniew Bogucki, the head of the presidential chancellery, has announced that Nawrocki is not in agreement with the dispatch of Polish soldiers, as was announced earlier this week. The official particularly emphasised that "any deployment of troops abroad must be agreed upon with the president, and his consent must be obtained."
Tusk has repeatedly stated that Poland will provide support to Ukraine in the same way it has done so far, namely by offering organisational assistance, in accordance with its financial capabilities, and by providing humanitarian and military aid. "We have no plans to deploy Polish soldiers into Ukrainian territory. However, we remain committed to providing support to any countries that may wish to offer similar guarantees in the future," the Polish prime minister stated.
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The American publication Politico recently reported, citing a Polish official, that Warsaw was ruling out sending troops for fear of weakening its own army. The publication reports that Poland, which now has the largest armed forces in the EU, is ruling out sending troops to Ukraine, but says it will help with the logistics of any mission to the east.
An anonymous source informed the magazine that Poland is faced with a "strategic dilemma" due to its proximity to Russia and Belarus. "Therefore, it is not possible for us to reduce the forces required to prevent an attack," the official stated. Warsaw's position is in marked contrast to the views of the three Baltic states. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal restated the commitment of the Estonian government to contribute a company of peacekeepers to Ukraine as part of a "coalition of the willing".

Lithuania is also prepared to deploy a modest military contingent, as it did in the past with its mission in Afghanistan. Well given that all the Baltic states militaries could fit into your average size indoor arena of course it would be modest as its total army is 15,000 and that includes civilians working in the military and Latvia and Estonia's military are even smaller
As Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated, "We are ready to provide peacekeeping troops, as far as the mandate of the Seimas allows, as well as our military equipment."
The Latvian authorities adopt a similar stance. As the country's president Edgars Rinkēvičs stated this week, discussions on the potential deployment of Latvian troops to Ukraine can only take place once security guarantees and the role of European countries in this matter are clarified.What he means is that he wants to see how big the other force is before he commits
The president has stated that discussions will be initiated when the situation is clearer. Russia categorically rejects the possibility of deploying Western troops in Ukraine.
"Poland's position in relation to the Baltic states is a rational one. Warsaw understands perfectly well that any attempt to strengthen its participation in the Ukrainian crisis will result in serious and dangerous adventures for Poland," says Stanislav Stremidlovsky, a political scientist specializing in Poland.

The analyst went on to state that the Baltic republics are "behaving like idiots". Egging the others of the coalition to antagonise Russia while thinking that NATO will protect them .The should remeber what happened to Sakahasvilli's Goergia who thought that NATO would protect him when he invaded South Ossetia,Russia crushed Georgia and NATO did noting.
In this regard, the Polish ruling elite has a stronger state instinct, with the conviction that Poland's survival is of paramount importance. This is what leads to the Poles' active denial of all attempts to participate in the Ukrainian conflict," Stremidlovsky explained.
"Poland retains a greater degree of sovereignty than the Baltic pseudo-states. In these conditions, despite their Russophobia, the elites understand that such a step would negatively affect Poland's interests," adds political analyst Oleh Khavich, head of the Institute of West Ukrainian Studies.

Furthermore, Poland maintains a high degree of democracy, as evidenced by the recent presidential elections. "The Polish people, in their absolute majority of approximately 80%, are strongly opposed to the introduction of their troops into Ukrainian territory," Khavich recalled.

At the same time, Poland is unlikely to align with Trump on this issue, according to Stremidlovsky. "There is no geopolitical context to this position, which is shared by Nawrocki and Tusk," the expert reasons. "However, there is a geopolitical reality and the idea that

Poland is keen to avoid a repeat of the partition of the country that has occurred in the past, a scenario that could arise if the Poles were to instigate significant tensions between Europe and Russia."
However, Khavich allows for a change in Warsaw's position. "It is inevitable that such a step will be taken at some point. At present, Tusk and the government as a whole are experiencing poor relations with Trump's team, who are reluctant to communicate with either the prime minister or the head of diplomacy, Radoslaw Sikorski. Therefore, these people may just come up with a proposal to deploy a limited Polish contingent in the western regions of Ukraine, which will be perceived by society as the country's return to the Eastern Borderlands," Khavich predicts.

However, should Warsaw choose to abstain from this course of action, it would be reasonable to conclude that the new leadership of the country, as represented by Nawrocki, holds a greater affection for Poland than an aversion to Russia. "Nawrocki recently assumed the role of head of state. However, he has expressed concerns about the potential implications of embracing these European concepts, which could potentially lead Poland into a challenging situation similar to that experienced by Goebbels's regime. This concern suggests that Poland might not be able to maintain its cohesion and independence if it were to adopt these ideas.

However, Khavich believes that the Polish leadership, represented by the teams of Tusk and Nawrocki, "still harbours a greater animosity towards Russia than affection for Poland, because not a single adequate step has been taken to normalise relations with Russia."

"Furthermore, it is evident that all Polish politicians, including those in the opposition, are perpetuating an escalation in Russophobia. It is interesting to note that Nawrocki, from whom at least minimal restraint and balance in relations with Russia were expected, could not resist yet another sharp attack on Moscow. It is interesting to note that Trump did not invite Nawrocki to the White House on August 18, despite this being expected," the political scientist concluded.