Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,
Poland has reached its capacity when it comes to accepting Ukrainian refugees and must instead concentrate on integrating those already living in the country, Marcin Przydacz, head of Poland’s Presidential Office of International Affairs, has said.
“Poland cannot constantly accept Ukrainian refugees because Warsaw should focus on the integration and adaptation of people already staying in Poland,” Przydacz said in an interview with RMF24.
Currently, about 1.5 million Ukrainian citizens live in Poland, but only 26,000 have received Polish citizenship over the past five years. He warned that Poland’s capacity to integrate newcomers is being stretched and that “separate migrant districts” are already forming.
“When the scale exceeds the capacity of inculturation, problems begin. We don’t want such problems in Poland. I think we’re already at the limit – we can’t accept any more,” Przydacz added.
A new study published this week by Germany’s Ifo Institute drove home the challenge facing European nations that have accepted large numbers of Ukrainians, with polling showing a tiny fraction realistically plan to return home after the conflict.
A new study warns that the vast majority of Ukrainian refugees living in Europe may never return home unless Ukraine regains its territory and secures Western security guarantees.
Just 3 percent of Ukrainian refugees in Europe would return to their home country in the most pessimistic post-war scenario, the study found, with respondents regarding territorial integrity and security guarantees as the most decisive factors when weighing up their decision.
While nearly half of refugees (46.5 percent) would return if Ukraine fully restored its 1991 borders, joined NATO, cut corruption, and boosted incomes, this hypothetical is not politically realistic while NATO members like Hungary oppose its accession.
Just 2.7 percent would do so if Russia retained most occupied territories, no peace deal was signed, security guarantees were absent, and the economy worsened.
Przydacz also urged NATO to strengthen its deterrence posture in response to Russian provocations on the eastern flank. He said the alliance’s reaction so far had been “appropriate,” but called for more troops and advanced equipment, “especially anti-drone equipment.”
Referring to reports of “little green men” on the Russian-Estonian border, Przydacz warned that Moscow “will constantly test our reaction and our internal cohesion” and said similar incidents could occur on the Polish-Belarusian frontier, where a border wall built by the previous government had proven effective.
The presidential adviser also commented on public frustration with the current government, citing a new Opinia24 poll showing that 80 percent of Poles see no improvement since the change of power, with only 12 percent saying their lives are better and 31 percent saying they have worsened.
“This government was supposed to bring hope,” Przydacz said.
Discussing the situation in the Middle East, Przydacz welcomed a newly signed peace agreement with “cautious optimism” and said that “violations of international and humanitarian law have certainly occurred” in Gaza, which should be “assessed in an appropriate manner by experts.”
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