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BERLIN — Poland is ready to proceed accepting Ukrainian refugees for so long as wanted, its deputy prime minister stated, however careworn that the primary precedence for each his nation and the remainder of the Western alliance must be to assist Ukraine defend itself.
“We’ve the capability and we’re nonetheless prepared to just accept extra refugees,” Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński, who oversees Poland’s efforts to absorb Ukrainian refugees, advised POLITICO in an interview.
Over the previous month, Poland has taken in 2.3 million refugees, Gliński stated, greater than every other European nation. The variety of arrivals has lately fallen off, however Warsaw is making ready for future waves. Echoing Ukrainian issues, nonetheless, Gliński signaled that it was crucial for the West to not conflate humanitarian assist with serving to the nation battle the Russians.
“This can be a very delicate drawback from the standpoint of Ukraine as a result of they’re nonetheless defending their independence,” Gliński stated.
The U.S. has dedicated to supply $2 billion in army assist to Ukraine and the EU has pledged to increase help totaling €1 billion.
Poland’s measurement and geographic place on NATO’s jap flank have made it the alliance’s logistical and political hub because the conflict began, the primary gateway to security for these fleeing the battle in addition to the first hall for Western arms deliveries into Ukraine. Poland’s new standing was on full view over the weekend when U.S. President Joe Biden visited the nation to seek advice from its leaders and ship a serious tackle.
The disaster has helped Gliński’s Legislation and Justice celebration, a staunchly conservative political motion that controls the federal government, divert consideration from its long-running disputes with the EU over what Brussels says is a systemic assault on democratic norms within the nation, together with by subjecting the judiciary to political affect and discriminating towards the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
Whereas these points stay unresolved, the Ukraine disaster and rising alarm over the acute menace Russia poses to European safety have inevitably shifted the dialog.
Poland’s willingness to absorb so many refugees, one thing it refused to do for conflict refugees from Syria and Afghanistan arriving in Europe, has additionally impressed many EU capitals.
Gliński attributed the distinction in strategy to the truth that about 1.5 million Ukrainians have been already dwelling and dealing in Poland earlier than the conflict, in addition to to the deep cultural ties between the neighboring international locations.
“There may be additionally a visual change within the Ukrainian strategy to our values … they’re attempting to be extra European,” he stated. “That is the results of the conflict.”
In distinction, refugees from predominantly Muslim international locations within the Center East and Africa are tougher to combine, he argued.
“They are often absorbed, however solely in a gradual evolutionary course of,” he stated.
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