Thousands of people join Ukrainian Legion in Poland – FM Sikorski
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Radoslav Sikorski. Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański
Thousands of Ukrainians have already joined the Ukrainian Legion, created through an agreement between the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, during their meeting in Warsaw.
According to Interfax-Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski said this at the NATO summit in Washington.
As the head of the Polish foreign policy department explained, the country is now starting to prepare the first Ukrainian brigade, which consists of volunteers.
"We have up to a million Ukrainians of both sexes, and several thousand have registered for recruitment. Interestingly, many genuinely want to serve and replace their fellow compatriots [who need rest after combat]. Still, they are saying: we do not want to be sent into battle without proper training and equipment," Sikorski said.
The Polish official also noted that his country will train and equip soldiers. After completing the rotation, the volunteers will be transferred to Ukraine as a unit with the right to return to Poland.
Sikorsky is sure: if every country in the European Union did this, there would already be several such brigades in Ukraine.
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It should be noted that on July 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bilateral security agreement with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Also, Kyiv and Warsaw will continue to cooperate on training the Security and Defense Forces personnel, agreeing to form a legion of volunteers from Ukrainians in the European Union in Poland.
Next, the country's leader announced that the Ukrainian Legion would undergo training in Poland and receive equipment from its partners. Any Ukrainian citizen who chooses to join the legion can sign a contract with the armed forces. Currently, both parties are ironing out the details of these agreements.
Recently, the Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov also appealed to Ukrainians residing in EU countries and called on them to voluntarily join Ukraine's defense by signing a contract with Ukraine's armed forces.
"Our volunteers will receive the most modern training from allies from Poland, Lithuania, and other EU countries. The Legion will be equipped with the best equipment from our international partners, increasing its effectiveness on the battlefield.
Ukrainians in Poland and other EU countries can voluntarily join Ukraine's defense by signing a contract with the armed forces," the head of the Ministry of Defense emphasized.
It is worth adding that the representatives of the third separate assault brigade want to conduct "DVIZH" recruiting events abroad.
The first events will take place:
- Poland, Warsaw, 21.07, 18:00;
- Poland, Wroclaw 23.07, 19:00;
- Germany, Berlin, 25.07, 19:00;
- Germany, Hamburg, 26.07, 18:00.
As mentioned, attendees at the meetings will include people who have actively participated in fighting in the areas of Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Kharkiv.
