Polish support for sending troops to Ukraine rose from 0 percent last year to 10 percent this year, in what Polish political experts are calling the “Macron effect.”
While it’s fair to say that most citizens of Ukraine-allied countries are not yet ready to send their nations’ troops to the largest war in Europe since World War II, that number has grown – particularly following French President Emmanuel Macron’s refusal to rule out sending his own country’s military at a Feb. 26 gathering of Western leaders.
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“Those who say ‘let's not support Ukraine’ do not make the choice of peace, they make the choice of defeat,” Macron said on March 14, reiterating a position that the French leader has steadfastly held, undeterred by criticism from some allies.
The latest survey of 1,000 Poles, which was ordered by Polish news agencies RMF FM and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, shows more public support for military intervention by the Polish army and a greater number of Poles favoring allowing Polish citizens to take part in combat on the Ukrainian side, RMF FM reported.
A similar survey was conducted a year ago. At that time respondents were asked the same question, “How should Poland help Ukraine?”
Then, only 3.4 percent of Poles were in favor of allowing Polish citizens to fight against Russia. That number has risen by a larger percentage – with 27.1 percent of respondents in favor.
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The poll found that Polish support for humanitarian aid for Ukraine remains strong, with 75 percent in support.
The majority, 67.6 percent, of Poles also support military aid provisions to Ukraine – including ammunition, small arms, and grenade launchers, with 54.1 percent in favor of sending heavy equipment like tanks and planes.
The poll was conducted by United Surveys on March 8-10, by the CATI/CAWI mixed method.
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