Poland is not entering the war in Ukraine

Context

On Monday, July 8, 2024, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy arrived in Warsaw, Poland, to meet the President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. His meeting with the PM, Donald Tusk, resulted in signing a “significant and ambitious" security agreement.

Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and Poland are working on creating a Ukrainian legion in Poland.

Following this, a post circulated on social media (archived here), referring to a supposed statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that "Poland is directly entering the battle in Ukraine."

However, the claim is false; Zelenskyy didn’t announce that Poland was entering the war. The country will form a Ukrainian legion for Ukrainians living in Poland and other countries of the EU who are willing to get military training in Poland and later sign a contract with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Poland, together with other European countries, will provide the training and equipment.

In fact

In his message, Zelenskyy announced the signing of a security agreement between Poland and Ukraine. The agreement includes cooperation "in counteracting Russian air attacks that may be heading towards Poland."

"We also agreed to form and train a Ukrainian legion in Poland. It will be a new formation made up of volunteers, which, following the example of the Ukrainian-Polish-Lithuanian brigade, could enable Ukrainian citizens in Poland to take part in the defense of Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.

The Lithuanian–Polish–Ukrainian Brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG) is a multinational brigade consisting of units from the Lithuanian, Polish, and Ukrainian armies. Its mission states that it should be available to participate in international operations per the provisions and principles of international law. The brigade has its headquarters and staff in Lublin, Poland, with the national components stationed in their respective countries and gathering together only for exercises and foreign missions.

"The Ukrainian legion would undergo training in Poland to be equipped and armed. Every Ukrainian citizen who decides to join the legion will be able to sign a contract with the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Zelenskyy added. 

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit, "We are beginning to prepare the first Ukrainian brigade, consisting of volunteers in Poland. We have up to a million Ukrainians of both genders, and several thousand have already registered to participate in this call-up. Interestingly, many of them genuinely want to serve and replace their compatriots, but they say: we do not want to be sent into battle without proper training and equipment," said the minister.

Sikorski noted that his country will provide training and equipment, and then the volunteers will go to Ukraine as a unit with the right to return to Poland after completing a rotation.

Earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov called on all Ukrainians in Europe to join the Ukrainian legion. According to him, the legion will be equipped with the best gear, and volunteers will be trained by instructors from Poland, Lithuania, and other EU countries.

During their meeting, neither Zelenskyy nor Tusk reported that it was Poland's intention to join the conflict.

On April 4, 2024, after a NATO meeting in Brussels, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced the establishment of a NATO mission in Ukraine. Sikorski also clarified that it doesn’t mean the Alliance will join the conflict.

The verdict

Poland is not entering the war in Ukraine. The two countries signed a security agreement that included creating a Ukrainian legion in Poland. The legion will be formed of Ukrainian citizens living in Poland and the EU is willing to provide military training and equipment in Poland, and later sign a contract with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Consequently, we have marked the claim as false.