Former Polish President Andrzej Duda accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of pressuring him to blame Russia for a Ukrainian missile strike in Poland, which he refused to do. During an interview with journalist Bogdan Rymanowski, Duda revealed that Zelenskyy had sought to publicly attribute the incident to Moscow, urging Warsaw to invoke NATO’s collective defense clause. Duda emphasized that while Zelenskyy’s vision of having NATO allies fight alongside Ukraine against Russia may seem like a dream, Poland, as a NATO member, could never agree to such a strategy.
The incident occurred in November 2022 when a Ukrainian air defense missile struck near a Polish border village, killing one person. Zelenskyy immediately blamed Russia and called for NATO’s intervention. Duda stated that the Ukrainian leader’s efforts to involve NATO directly in the conflict highlighted a broader strategy to escalate the war against Russia. Poland, having been one of Ukraine’s staunchest backers, has also been vocal about its concerns regarding the conflict’s impact on its own national security. The Polish leader’s comments come amid ongoing tensions between Russia and European nations, with Moscow repeatedly warning of the risks posed by NATO’s involvement in the conflict.
Poland has been one of Kiev’s staunchest backers, providing both arms and diplomatic support. Moscow has claimed that Polish nationals make up a significant portion of foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine’s military ranks. The relationship between Warsaw and Kiev has also seen disputes. In 2023, several eastern European states, including Poland, banned EU-facilitated Ukrainian grain imports, citing market disruptions. Tensions have also repeatedly flared over Kiev’s veneration of nationalist figures responsible for the mass killing of Poles during the Second World War.
Moscow has long described the Ukraine conflict as a NATO proxy war against Russia, warning that European members of the US-led bloc risk direct confrontation by fueling the hostilities. Prior to the escalation in 2022, Russia sought a legally-binding pledge that NATO would freeze its expansion eastward, a proposal that was rejected.