Poland’s ambassador urges more support for countries next to Ukraine war

An investigation is ongoing into how two Poles died in an explosion from a missile landing near their country's border with Ukraine on Tuesday.

As the investigation continues into how two Poles died in an explosion near their country’s border with Ukraine on Tuesday, Poland‘s ambassador to Canada is urging the international community to consider deepening its support for the countries closest to the war.

The belief in Poland and with its NATO military allies is that the apparent missile strike “was not intentional,” says Witold Dzielski, who directed international policy for the Polish president before arriving in Ottawa earlier this year.

The leading theory is that the cause was a stray Ukrainian defensive missile that hit amid a barrage of missile attacks from Russia, though Ukraine’s president has disputed the suggestion.

Still, Dzielski said, the event “would not have happened if it was not for the fact that Russia invaded Ukraine.”

The consequences of the war have been heavy for Poland, which he said has welcomed some seven million refugees, many of whom are still in the country. Poland has spent the equivalent of $15 billion, Dzielski said, on humanitarian and military support.

While Canada’s support for Ukraine to date is “very much appreciated,” he said, Poland hopes that its allies will consider supporting the neighbouring countries that are imperilling themselves to help.

“We are very much lobbying, from the very beginning, for everybody to provide support. And we are at the same time putting ourselves at risk …. Poland believes this is the right thing to do,” he said.

“This is something that Poland and countries of our region were not prepared for. And it produces very serious budgetary risks. So the support for those countries is also worth considering.”