Polish Ambassador to the United States Marek Magierowski, during an appearance on CNN yesterday, seemed to be contradicting himself about Polish support for a NATO intervention in Ukraine. He outlined a “preliminary concept” that there be a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine to stop Russian aggression, without clearly explaining how it might come about. “Polish troops … we are willing and ready to help the Ukrainians as much as possible … within the framework of NATO cooperation to defend themselves,” he said. “We are not talking about a possible escalation and possible engagement of NATO troops in Ukraine,” he insisted.
As for the peacekeeping mission “We can’t take any position. All such decisions, no matter how radical they seem to be now, have to be taken by all NATO members…. We should be also discussing numerous possibilities of defending ourselves, not only Ukraine,” Magierowski said. He said the peacekeeping mission idea doesn’t have to be under the guise of NATO.
“It is understandably a preliminary concept which has been put on the table, a proposal which has to be considered by all our NATO allies,” he said. “In terms of international law, it will be complicated as you probably imagine,” he remarked. “But I believe we have to explore every option and every avenue to stop this aggression and unprovoked war as quickly as possible, of course, without engaging Russia in direct military confrontation because this is not the intent.”
