Andrii Sybiga announced the beginning of preparations for the formation of a new military unit from Ukrainian volunteers who currently live outside of Ukraine
At the 20th meeting of the Yalta European Strategy (YES), the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga made an important statement about the start of preparations for the formation of a new military unit consisting of Ukrainian volunteers who currently live outside Ukraine. One of Ukraine’s key partners in this project will be Poland, with which active negotiations are already underway.
“We are currently in close dialogue with Poland regarding the start of the implementation of a very important project on the training of a military unit. It will be formed from Ukrainian citizens who live abroad and wish to voluntarily join the ranks of the defenders of Ukraine,” Andrii Sybiga noted. He emphasized that such an initiative should be an important step in strengthening the country’s defense capabilities, since a significant number of citizens ready for mobilization live outside Ukraine.
According to preliminary estimates, there are currently about 300,000 Ukrainian citizens who have reached the age of mobilization in Poland alone. In general, the number of Ukrainians living abroad who can potentially join the defense of the Motherland is approximately one million people.
This decision is important in view of the justice of the mobilization, because being abroad should not be an excuse to avoid the duty to defend one’s state. This obligation applies to all citizens of Ukraine, regardless of where they are – in the country or abroad.” – emphasized the minister.
According to him, the task of developing special programs within the European Union, which will facilitate the return of Ukrainians home, is currently emerging.
“Of course, for this to happen, appropriate conditions must be created – from security to medical services and housing reconstruction. But without a doubt, this issue should be on the agenda.” – added the minister.
That is, according to Sybiga, the state should provide a full range of conditions that will help citizens return to the Motherland, not only to participate in the war, but also to stay there after its end. Reconstruction of infrastructure and ensuring security are key points in this process, without which it is impossible to talk about the mass return of Ukrainians.
Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslav Sikorsky actively supports the discussion on the formation of the Ukrainian Legion. He expressed concern about the current policy of many European capitals, which provide economic benefits to Ukrainian men of mobilization age. According to Sikorskyi, such a policy has a negative impact on Ukraine’s defense capability, as it creates incentives for these men to stay abroad rather than join the defense of their country.
Sikorskyi stated the need to cancel such payments so that Ukraine’s mobilization resources could be used effectively. Ukrainian Minister Andriy Sybiga supported this idea, noting that it is logical in the context of equality of mobilization obligations for all citizens.
The topic of the creation of the Ukrainian Legion in Poland is not the first time that it has been raised at international meetings. Earlier, Andrii Sybiga commented on the information that the recruitment of volunteers to the Ukrainian Legion exists only “on paper”. The Minister noted that in order for this project to come to life, it is necessary to go through the relevant procedural steps within the framework of cooperation between the Ministries of Defense of Ukraine and Poland.
“Now the project is at the finalization stage. Since this issue is sensitive, we will be able to move to the practical stage only after the preparation is completed. Only then will this project become a reality.”, – said the minister, emphasizing the importance of this project for both countries.
According to Polish Minister Radoslaw Sikorsky, who supported Sybig, several thousand Ukrainians had already registered with the Legion at the time of the NATO summit. However, the Polish publication Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reported that the diplomat was probably misinformed, because at that time there was no official registration yet.
Thus, the further development of this project will depend on the successful completion of procedural steps and the final agreement between both countries. Only after that it will be possible to talk about the actual launch of the initiative to form the Ukrainian Legion in Poland.
