Nearly three full quarters of Poles oppose Polish or any other NATO country’s forces engaging in the Russia-Ukraine war. Research by Statistics Poland (CBOS) reveals a clear sentiment among Poles, with 74.8 percent opposing military involvement. Only 10.2 percent advocate for such intervention.
This study follows French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments last month that Europe should consider deploying troops to Ukraine, a stance that received substantial pushback from European leaders who do not wish to drag their countries into a full-scale war with Russia.
The survey also revealed that while a vast majority of Poles oppose outright military intervention, 40 percent believe NATO should adopt a more stringent approach toward Russia due to its hostilities towards Ukraine. Almost an equal number — 37 percent — feel NATO’s reaction is appropriate, while 14 percent think NATO is overreacting in its response.
Poland, a NATO member since 1999, sees tremendous support for the Alliance, with over 90 percent approval. CBOS reports that in March 2022, following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, public support surged to an all-time high of 94 percent.
Poland, an important donor of aid to Ukraine and a refuge for millions of Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war, stands divided over Ukraine’s immediate NATO membership. A 2023 poll conducted by IBRiS found that 47.7 percent of Poles oppose Ukraine entering the alliance, with only 40 percent in favor.
The CBOS poll comes as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg conceded that Ukraine may have to make concessions to Russia in order to bring about an end to the war. It also follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s admission that Ukraine is losing the war and faces defeat without further Western assistance.
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