US Envoy Says Polish Troops Could Join Other Euro Forces in Western Ukraine

May 14 ------ US Special Envoy for Ukraine, Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg (Ret.), told Fox News that Poland might be among the Western nations sending boots on the ground in Ukraine in the event of a “comprehensive ceasefire.” “We are talking about a resilience force. This includes the Brits, the French, as well as the Germans, and now actually the Poles, have a force west of the Dnipro River, which means it’s out of contact range [with Russia],” he said. 

London and Paris have been talking about sending, along with other European nations, to send an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 peace-keeping troops. But the inclusion of Poland in those ranks would be a surprising development, as the country had long held the position that it would not deploy any soldiers to Ukraine.  

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who also serves as deputy prime minister, dismissed Kellogg’s remarks. “There are not and will not be any plans to send the Polish military to Ukraine,” wrote Kosiniak-Kamysz on social media, adding that Poland’s role is to “defend NATO’s eastern flank and provide logistical support” to Ukraine. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote that he confirmed that position. Kellogg is expected to join US’s Russia envoy Steve Witkoff at the Kyiv-Moscow talks in Istanbul on Thursday, according to Reuters, citing “three sources familiar with the plans.” 

US President Donald Trump, who traveled to the Middle East in his first major foreign tour, teased a day prior that he might attend himself. Kellogg said that Trump might attend if Russian leader Vladimir Putin also shows up. The special envoy stressed that the US is looking for a “comprehensive ceasefire,” which would be followed by discussions not only about peacekeeping forces, but also other issues, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the return of Ukrainian children and Ukraine’s prospects for NATO membership, the last of which the Kremlin has repeated is a non-starter. The peacekeeping force under Western discussions, Kellogg said, possibly could be deployed east of the Dnipro River with the participation of a third country “so you can actually monitor the ceasefire.” 

Source: kyivpost.com