Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans on March 7 to implement large-scale military training for all adult men to strengthen the country’s reserve forces.
In a speech to the Sejm, Poland’s parliament, he noted that this initiative was in response to growing security threats from Russia.
“If Ukraine loses the war or if it accepts the terms of peace, armistice, or capitulation in such a way that weakens its sovereignty and makes it easier for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to gain control over Ukraine, then, without a doubt — and we can all agree on that — Poland will find itself in a much more difficult geopolitical situation,” Tusk said.
He also said that he would like to increase the size of the Polish army from the current amount of 200,000 soldiers to 500,000, noting that Russia’s army has around 1.3 million soldiers and Ukraine’s has around 800,000.
"We will try to have a model ready by the end of this year so that every adult male in Poland is trained in the event of war, so that this reserve is comparable and adequate to the potential threats."
Poland has been a key ally of Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, providing extensive military aid, including tanks, heavy equipment, and ammunition.
Yana Prots
(Updated: )
