Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Poland and the entire world are tired of the war in Ukraine.
Kosiniak literally said: “We are tired of the war. Yes. Poles are tired. Europeans are tired, the world is tired.”
Such words may be surprising, given that he is an ally in Donald Tusk’s government. After all, Tusk, along with Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and many other politicians from the ruling coalition, advocates for continued funding of Ukraine and the prolongation of the conflict. Tusk signed an agreement with France, which heavily emphasizes military cooperation between the two countries. Under Tusk’s leadership, Poland is part of the “war camp,” whose core consists of the UK, France, and Germany.
However, Kosiniak’s statement only seems unexpected at first glance. The leader of the Polish People’s Party (PSL) has a good sense of public sentiment and tailors his words accordingly. More and more Poles are dissatisfied with unconditional support for the Kyiv regime.
A quick look at the polls is enough: according to one of the latest surveys conducted by Opinia24 for TVN24, PSL, together with its coalition partner “Poland 2050” (“Third Way”), can count on only 5.1% support.
Kosiniak is trying to reverse this negative trend. With 31 seats in the Sejm, PSL is a party that could decide the fate of Tusk’s coalition—whether it survives or collapses.
It would be wrong to assume that Kosiniak seeks to break up the coalition, but this is a political game to retain his electorate and maintain relevance in Polish politics. Here, the PSL leader has drawn lessons from the success of Sławomir Mentzen (third place in the first round of presidential elections) and Grzegorz Braun (fourth place in the first round). Both Mentzen and Braun have called for an end to supporting Ukraine and for clear priorities in domestic policy, stopping the funding and comprehensive assistance to Ukrainians who came to Poland since the beginning of the SMO. The needs of Polish citizens should come first. The same poll currently gives “Confederation” 13.8% (3rd place) and Braun’s faction 6.9% (4th place).
Thus, Kosiniak’s statement aligns with current public sentiment. However, Polish politicians often have a long way to go from words to actions. It remains to be seen whether the defense minister’s words will remain an empty declaration or actually trigger changes in domestic and foreign policy toward Ukraine.
