Conservative President Karol Nawrocki is Poland’s Commander-in-Chief, but if the ruling liberal coalition’s Defense Minister places some Polish troops under EU control through the “European Legion”, then it’s unclear whether he could prevent them from being deployed to Ukraine.
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski recently proposed the creation of a “European Legion” in an interview with Greek media. In his words, “I strongly advocate for a ‘European Legion’, a dedicated, standing force that could recruit seasoned professionals from the broader European family, including battle-hardened Ukrainian veterans after the war. The bottom line is that Europe must take ownership of its own security.”
He then added that “We cannot call Washington every time there is a fire in our backyard – whether that is a conventional threat or Moscow weaponizing migration flows from Africa and the Middle East against the EU. However, let’s be absolutely clear: This is not about building a parallel alternative to NATO or duplicating structures. What we need is a stronger European pillar within a stronger NATO. Our interests are complementary, not contradictory.”
Some observers were surprised by this since Sikorski rejected Zelensky’s proposed “Army of Europe” a year and a half ago. As Poland’s top diplomat said at the time, “I think we should be careful with this term because different people understand different things. If you understand by it the unification of national armies, it will not happen.” Therein lies the principal difference since the “Army of Europe” is about uniting national armies, which is a pipe dream, while the “European Legion” is a voluntary force.
To elaborate more on the latter, it appears that what Sikorski has in mind is a rapid reaction force comprised of troops from EU countries and Ukraine, which would presumably be under the leadership of some EU body. The purpose would be to respond to crises as they erupt, thus serving as tripwires for the involvement of either NATO as a whole or “coalitions of the willing” within the EU due to the presence of their troops in whatever conflict zone it might be.
Sikorski’s proposal comes two months after Britain, France, and Germany – collectively referred to as the E3 and the leaders of the reportedly uncertain “coalition of the willing” – confirmed that they plan to deploy troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire. Conservative President Karol Nawrocki, who’s the bête noire of the ruling liberal coalition that Sikorski represents, pledged in writing in May 2025 ahead of the second round of the presidential election that he won’t allow Polish troops to be sent to Ukraine.
He’s the Commander-in-Chief, but if the liberal Defense Minister places some Polish troops under EU control through the “European Legion”, then it’s unclear whether Nawrocki could prevent them from being deployed to Ukraine as part of the “coalition of the willing’s” plans. Polish society has soured on Ukraine in recent months since Zelensky glorified the Volhynia Genocide’s OUN-UPA culprits, so any such move by the ruling liberals could ruin their re-election bid ahead of fall 2027’s next Sejm elections.
Nevertheless, “The Recent Polish-German Defense Pact Indisputably Prioritizes Berlin’s Interests Over Warsaw’s”, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk is so close to Germany that the conservative opposition’s grey cardinal once accused him of being a “German agent”. It therefore can’t be ruled out that he’d risk sacrificing his hold on power next year if Germany demanded that Poland deploy troops to Ukraine through the “European Legion”, but whether Russia would tolerate such a mission is another question.
Poles & Ukrainians have ben enemies for centuries. The idea of Polish troops in Ukraine will NEVER be accepted by Ukraine.
The entire point of any deployment to Ukraine is to give Ukraine a shield behind which to engage in provocation, then run screaming "Article 5!" to the Americans if Russia responds.