Andrew Korybko
Conservative President Karol Nawrocki is Poland’s
Commander-in-Chief, but if the ruling liberal coalition’s Defense Minister
places some Polish troops under EU control through the “European Legion”, then
it’s unclear whether he could prevent them from being deployed to Ukraine
Polish Foreign Minister Radek
Sikorski recently proposed the creation of a “European Legion” in an interview
with Greek media. In
his words, “I strongly advocate for a ‘European Legion’, a dedicated,
standing force that could recruit seasoned professionals from the broader
European family, including battle-hardened Ukrainian veterans after the war.
The bottom line is that Europe must take ownership of its own security.”
He then added that “We cannot
call Washington every time there is a fire in our backyard – whether that is a
conventional threat or Moscow weaponizing migration flows from Africa and the
Middle East against the EU. However, let’s be absolutely clear: This is not
about building a parallel alternative to NATO or duplicating structures. What
we need is a stronger European pillar within a stronger NATO. Our interests are
complementary, not contradictory.”
Some observers were surprised by this since Sikorski rejected Zelensky’s proposed “Army of Europe” a year and a half ago. As Poland’s top diplomat said at the time, “I think we should be careful with this term because different people understand different things. If you understand by it the unification of national armies, it will not happen.” Therein lies the principal difference since the “Army of Europe” is about uniting national armies, which is a pipe dream, while the “European Legion” is a voluntary force.




















