Prime Minister Donald Tusk is preparing a 500,000-troop army for Poland to protect against Russian aggression. “We will try to have a model ready by the end of the year so that every adult male in Poland is trained for war,” Tusk announced.
“Today, the situation of Poland, objectively and the situation of Ukraine above all, is more difficult than it was a few months ago and we have to deal with this fact,” Tusk mentioned. The current army has around 200,000 members to explain the full scope of Tusk’s plans, which would more than double the current military. The resources for this project are unfounded and a budget has not been presented. Poland already boasts the second-largest army in NATO behind the United States and Turkey. Turkey has an army of around 512,000 troops, so this move will put Poland on par.
“Every adult male” in the nation must undergo military training. Women, for now, are permitted to join on a voluntary basis but many EU nations are forcing women to undergo some form of training as well. Poland is one of the 11 EU nations that will place women in the frontline of fire.
Poland has already increased its NATO spending to 4.2% of GDP in 2024, and plans to up that amount to 4.7% ($48 billion) in 2025. Now the European Union initiated proceedings against Poland in July 2024 for its growing deficit. Poland has been the largest recipient of EU funds, but these funds come with increasing political conditions, particularly regarding judicial reforms, climate policies, and social policies like DEI mandates. Other members of both NATO and the EU refuse to up their defense budgets while encouraging Poland to spend more out of fear of proximity.
Poles are divided on the issue, with at least half stating they do not need to be involved in Ukraine’s conflict. A February 2025 survey by Ukrainska Pravda found a growing negative attitude toward Ukrainians over the past year, with 27% to 30% of respondents having a negative view of Ukraine compared to 23% to 25% last year. Younger Poles are less likely to have a favorable view of Ukraine, with only 16% stating they viewed Ukraine favorably. Reports state that older Poles are simply more empathetic, but they are not the ones who will be expected to die on behalf of Ukraine.
In November 2024, 55% of Poles said they supported ending the war even if Ukraine was forced to surrender territory. That same survey found only 24% in favor of such measures back in November 2022, before the war escalated to a full-scale proxy war. Opposition to continually providing Ukraine with military and humanitarian aid is continuing to rise.
Then there is the issue of refugees. While 53% support accepting Ukrainians into Poland, 67% believe Tusk must send back all military-aged men.
Poland is preparing for war. Leaders use the rhetoric of the past to claim that their nation could be invaded yet again and claimed by a foreign actor. The only actor who is stirring the pot is Zelensky, who, per instructions, has been encouraging his EU allies to fight Russia head-on. The majority of fighting-aged men in Poland DO NOT WANT WAR, nor do they deserve to die in these neocon war games.
