Poland nears €5 billion in aid to Ukraine as security chief flags EU ammunition shortage

Poland has extended nearly five billion euros in support to Ukraine, including substantial military aid, said Dariusz Łukowski, Head of the National Security Bureau.

Speaking to Polish media, Łukowski emphasized the scale and critical timing of Poland’s contributions during the ongoing conflict, underscoring the country’s pivotal role in bolstering Ukrainian defense capabilities, Caliber.Az reports.

“According to our estimates, we have provided Ukraine with support, including military support, to the amount of almost 5 billion euros,” Łukowski stated. While acknowledging that Poland’s overall contribution does not place it among the very top donor nations, he highlighted the decisive nature of Polish aid at a crucial juncture in the war. “When many countries were discussing its provision, we provided hundreds of tanks and transporters, which made it possible to equip troops on the scale of more than a division.”

However, Łukowski also cautioned that Poland’s current capacity to sustain such levels of assistance is constrained. He cited the necessity for Poland to replenish its own military stockpiles and to expand its armed forces in order to maintain effective deterrence against Russia. “Our support capabilities today are limited, especially since Poland is in a completely different situation than other countries. We have to fill the gaps after the provided equipment and expand our armed forces to effectively deter Russia,” he explained.

Despite these challenges, Poland continues to supply critical aid, including communications infrastructure such as Starlink for Ukrainian forces, spare parts for transferred equipment, and a wide array of combat materiel. “We continue to provide support to the best of our ability,” Łukowski affirmed.

Transitioning from Poland’s direct aid to Ukraine, Łukowski also drew attention to broader strategic challenges confronting the European Union’s defence industry in sustaining Ukraine’s war effort. He highlighted that “the military industry of the EU countries does not have sufficient capacity to produce the amount of ammunition required for its own needs and for supplies to Ukraine.” Despite ambitious initiatives like the SAFE program and ReARM Europe aimed at ramping up production, Łukowski cautioned that these efforts will take considerable time to yield tangible results.

He further stressed the stark imbalance between EU and Russian munitions output, noting that “EU countries do not produce munitions in such quantities as Russia, which has a gigantic advantage here.” This discrepancy accentuates the indispensable role of continued external support, particularly from the United States.

Expressing cautious optimism about Washington’s commitment, Łukowski remarked, “I expect the Americans to continue their support, and I have a feeling that there is a growing realisation in the Trump administration about the importance of assistance.”

Concluding his assessment, Łukowski warned that the conflict is approaching a critical and potentially decisive phase: “We are approaching a critical point and, to some extent, a decisive moment in the war.”

By Vafa Guliyeva