Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski has made a statement aimed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, where he accuses the latter of wanting to drag Poland into the war against Russia.
By persuading Poland to shoot down Russian robots over Ukraine, Zelensky wants to involve Poland in the war, Krzysztof Gawkowski explained in an interview with ZET radio channel on November 4, Kyiv Independent reports.
Since before, North Korean soldiers have been confirmed in Russia.
In an interview with BBC Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko calls the data “bullshit” and believes that the involvement of a “third country” would only escalate the conflict as it would provide incentives for NATO to send troops to Ukraine. It has therefore never been relevant for Belarusian soldiers to fight for Russia, says the president.
– Putin would never try to persuade another country to send its troops to fight on the front line, Aleksandr Lukashenko told the BBC in October.
Polish-Ukrainian war of words
Zelensky recently criticized Poland for not supplying Ukraine with the MiG-29 fighter jet, as promised. The president has also, on several occasions, asked Poland to shoot down Russian robots flying in the direction of Poland, and whose target is a gas plant in Lviv in western Ukraine, located 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian-Polish border.
Both Russian robots and drones have previously appeared in Polish airspace during attacks on Ukraine – without the Polish military taking action. Poland’s allies have advised the country to be cautious in the event of unidentified airspace violations, the country’s government believes.
– I think that President Zelenskyi’s latest actions are unworthy of a politician who owes Poland so much, Gawkowski says according to the Kyiv Independent and believes that Ukraine has a lot to thank Poland for.
Since the start of the war, Poland has been a vocal ally of Ukraine. Among other things, they have propagated that Ukraine should receive all the military equipment needed to win the war against Russia. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Poland has provided Ukraine’s military with $3.5 billion and taken in close to a million Ukrainian refugees.
Getting ready at home
At the same time, Poland is preparing to be able to defend itself against Russian Kaliningrad at home. At the end of 2024, the construction of the “Eastern shield” line of defense will begin, and in total Poland will spend 4.2 percent of its GDP on defense.
– Poland takes this most seriously of all. They basically buy everything that is possible to buy, mainly from the US and South Korea. There are big bets on the Polish defense. They have no desire to lose again, Joakim Paasikivi told TV4 in October.