Poland initiates training and enlistment for Ukrainian Volunteer Brigade
Several thousand Ukrainians residing in Poland have already registered to join the Ukrainian Legion. The country is preparing to train its first brigade of Ukrainian volunteers.
Polish authorities will not actively seek out Ukrainian nationals within the country to recruit them for the Ukrainian Legion, said the country's Deputy Minister of Defence, Paweł Zalewski, during a broadcast on Polish Radio.
"The provisions in the security agreement concerning the creation of the legion in Poland will not impose any obligations on the country beyond the existing legal framework," he explained.
Zalewski emphasized that participation in the legion is voluntary and that Ukrainians are to independently decide whether to become legionnaires.
The deputy minister clarified that volunteers who agree to join the Legion "will be conscripted into the Ukrainian Armed Forces under Ukrainian regulations at Ukrainian consular offices," while on Polish territory they "will undergo basic training provided by the Polish army at one of its training grounds."
"Recruitment will be facilitated through Ukrainian consular offices," he underlined.
Upon completion of training, according to Zalewski, the Ukrainian soldiers will travel to Ukraine where, in accordance with Ukrainian law and the missions they receive, they will serve on the front line.
He also highlighted that Ukrainian military personnel will retain the right to return, stating "it is important that after completing their military service, they should be able to return to where they left from, to the families they left behind."
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk have signed a bilateral security agreement between the two countries. The document includes an agreement on the formation and training of the Ukrainian Legion on Polish soil.