The Ukrainian issue has become a tool in the confrontation between Polish parties on the eve of the parliamentary elections. Find out why Poles came out to mass rallies and what percentage of Polish citizens do not support the continuation of aid to Ukrainians

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On October 15, parliamentary elections will be held in Poland. According to preliminary estimates, the main competitors will be the national conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which has been in power since 2015, and the opposition Civic Coalition party led by Donald Tusk.

According to preliminary polls, these two parties have approximately the same number of votes. However, the opposition is trying to attract as many citizens as possible to support them. Thus, the latest action to mobilize its supporters was the "March of Million Hearts", which took place on October 1 and gathered from 800 thousand to more than a million Poles in Warsaw.

The protest was mostly focused on internal Polish issues, but the Polish elections are of great importance for Ukraine, as some parties have repeatedly manipulated the "Ukrainian issue" in their election campaigns.

Will Poland continue to support Ukraine after the elections?

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, PiS showed an unprecedented level of support for Ukraine, but it was dictated mainly by the attitude of Polish society towards Ukraine and Ukrainians. At the same time, as the level of support among citizens fell, the party began to actively seek ways to stay in power. And Ukrainian grain became the main tool in this regard. This issue is now almost resolved, and the parties to the conflict are discussing a compromise solution for both sides. However, according to experts, PiS's policy will continue to depend on fluctuations in internal sentiment. At the same time, the party aims to withdraw Poland from the EU, which is not supported by the opposition.

Regarding the Civic Coalition's position on Ukraine, the party's election campaign does not contain any hints of bias or skepticism. Unlike the PiS, the opposition did not manipulate the Ukrainian issue. Moreover, the party's leader Donald Tusk, despite the statements of Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, called for increased military support for Ukraine, as Ukraine's victory is in Poland's national interest. 

The only openly anti-Ukrainian candidate for a seat in parliament is the far-right Confederation party. Its leader is the only member of parliament who did not vote in favor of the resolution to help Ukraine in the war with russia. And now their election policy is based on anti-Ukrainian rhetoric. 

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Do Poles support the continuation of assistance to Ukrainians?

The fact that Poland may stop helping Ukrainian refugees in 2024 became known from the words of the country's government representative, Piotr Mueller. However, according to ukrayina.pl, according to a survey conducted by the international research company Ipsos, Poles are divided on this issue. 

Thus, 49% of respondents support the continuation of assistance to Ukrainians in Poland, while 42% of respondents oppose it.

 Among those who do not support the continuation of assistance:

- 22% of respondents said that they "strongly support the termination of aid";

- 20% of respondents answered "I would rather stop support".

Instead, among those respondents who support the continuation of support for Ukrainians:

- 23% are fully convinced of the need for assistance;

- 26% said that support should be "continued" rather than stopped.

At the same time, according to Roman Imielski, deputy editor of Gazeta Wyborczej, the survey showed that despite some turbulence on the eve of the parliamentary elections, Polish society is fully aware of the threats from russia and understands why Ukraine needs support. And even the openly anti-Ukrainian rhetoric of some politicians did not make Poles categorical about the need for further assistance to Ukraine.

We remind you! Former Prime Minister Robert Fico's anti-Ukrainian party, which opposes military aid to Ukraine, will lead the Slovak parliament. Read more about the consequences of the victory of the pro-moscow party in the Slovak parliamentary elections for Ukraine and the EU in our previous article.

Photo: Ukrainian In Poland

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