Speaking after a meeting of EU defence ministers in Copenhagen, Paweł Zalewski said that Warsaw would serve as a key hub for any future peacekeeping operations once fighting ends.
“Poland will create the facilities for bases and logistics for units stationed in Ukraine, and we will make our airfields available for aircraft protecting Ukrainian airspace," Zalewski told reporters.
“Without what Poland offers, there will be no real security guarantees," he added,
He stressed, however, that Poland would not send its own troops to Ukraine or take part in ground operations, citing the security threat along its border with Russia and Belarus, state news agency PAP reported.
EU defence ministers discussed how member states could contribute to security guarantees aimed at securing a ceasefire or peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
Plans under consideration include a European troop presence and a mission to safeguard Ukrainian skies once hostilities cease, according to the PAP news agency.
Zalewski said Poland supported EU training missions but would host them on its own territory rather than inside Ukraine.
He also underlined the need for continued Western sanctions against Russia, noting that while Moscow’s economy has deeper resources than Ukraine’s, it faces long-term limits.
"Everyone agreed that the Russian threat will endure regardless of whether a ceasefire is reached,” he said.
Poland also pledged to specialise in border protection, drones and counter-drone systems, as well as air defence and ground combat systems as part of broader EU efforts to strengthen defence capabilities, according to Zalewski.
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Source: IAR, PAP