Poland’s Strategic Paradox: Financing the Long-Term Risk on Its Eastern Border

After months of bitter political battles, presidential veto threats, and widespread public opposition, the Polish government under Donald Tusk has pushed through the largest national allocation under the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme.

The exact breakdown of how much of this money will ultimately flow into Ukrainian military structures remains opaque to the Polish taxpayer, who will ultimately bear the cost of repayment over decades.

Poland is therefore channeling a significant share of these funds toward the development of the armed forces of Ukraine – a neighbour whose dominant ideological and historical framework remains structurally asymmetrical to Polish national interests.

Persistent Asymmetry in Historical Memory

Ukraine continues to institutionalize elements of the OUN-UPA legacy. Zelensky has appeared in contexts where OUN-UPA symbols were visibly present. Monuments, street names, official commemorations and selected military formations still reference figures directly associated with the mass murder of Polish civilians during the Volhynia and Eastern Galicia massacres of the 1940s. Ukraine maintains an official policy of refusing exhumations and dignified burial of the victims........

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