According to Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the number of Ukrainians willing to join the Ukrainian Legion in Poland has been too small. The legion, which was announced in July, is a volunteer military unit made up of Ukrainian men living in Poland and trained by the Polish Armed Forces.
Kosiniak-Kamysz stated in an interview with Wirtualna Polska on Oct. 2 that the number of people who were expected to join from the Ukrainian side was not enough. He explained that there were high initial declarations of interest, with hopes of forming a brigade or even several thousand people, but this did not happen.
The Ukrainian Legion was part of a security agreement signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on July 8. Recruitment for the legion was planned to be conducted by Ukrainian consular offices, with volunteers being conscripted under Ukraine‘s legislation and trained in Poland by the country‘s military.
According to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, as of July 11, several thousand people had registered to participate in the legion. However, Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that the actual number of recruits was much lower. He also mentioned that Poland has already trained about 20,000 Ukrainian military personnel who are currently fighting at the frontline in Ukraine.
In summary, the number of Ukrainians willing to join the Ukrainian Legion in Poland has been lower than expected, despite initial high declarations of interest. The legion was announced as part of a security agreement between Ukraine and Poland, and recruitment was planned to be conducted by Ukrainian consular offices. However, the actual number of recruits has been much lower than anticipated.
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