Maciej Wąsik, the deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, informed that Poland is getting ready to accept up to a million Ukrainians fleeing Russian military aggression. “In case of a war in Ukraine, Poland must take into account the influx of refugees. People who flee the fire, death and atrocities of war.”

He emphasized that it means preparing border crossings, medical services, accommodation and meals. “In accordance with the Geneva Convention, those people will be under Polish protection and we will not dispute it. If real refugees come, we must help them; this is international law, but also the principles of coexistence of civilized people, the principles of European and Christian culture. We will not evade it and we will not refrain from that duty- said Maciej Wąsik.

The deputy minister added that Poland should be prepared for the worst scenario. For some time, the Ministry of the Interior and Administration has been taking steps to be prepared for the arrival of this wave of up to a million people, who may appear on Poland’s eastern border, according to the most drastic forecasts.

In Wąsik’s opinion, Poles should not succumb to hysteria and panic, also because Vladimir Putin cares about good relations with China and for this reason the Russian president will not take any decisive moves, as this could turn Beijing against him.

On Friday, the National Security Council met to discuss the current situation in terms of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. At the beginning of the meeting, President Andrzej Duda said that at the moment there is no direct military threat to Poland. However, he added that there has been no such perilous situation since 1989.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński