From resentment to solidarity: How Poles view Ukrainians – interview

Against the backdrop of continued Russian strikes on energy infrastructure that have left millions of Ukrainians without electricity, heating and water, a group of Polish civic organizations and initiatives on Jan. 16 announced a charity drive to raise funds for generators and other assistance for Kyiv.

The initial goal was to raise money to purchase 100 generators and charging stations. The campaign quickly gained traction, spreading across social media, news websites and television. By the sixth day, Poles had raised more than 5 million zlotys ($1.4 million). Organizers then raised the target to 10 million zlotys.

The initiative, Heat from Poland for Kyiv, was launched by Jerzy Wójcik, a former deputy editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza and founder of the Ukrainian-Polish magazine Sestry.eu. A number of civic organizations and initiatives joined the effort, including Euromaidan-Warsaw, the Democracy Foundation, the Open Dialogue Foundation, the PRB Foundation and Entrepreneurs Help.

The fundraiser also drew the attention of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who thanked Poles and urged people around the world to follow their example. “Today I instructed all our diplomatic missions abroad to initiate urgent fundraising efforts similar to the one recently organized by our Polish friends,” the minister said.

NV spoke with Wójcik about how he managed to organize a large-scale fundraiser amid anti-Ukrainian statements by Polish President Karol Nawrocki, how Polish attitudes toward Ukrainians have changed over four years of Russia’s full-scale war, and whether Poles are preparing for the possibility of military conflict.

— You were one of the organizers of the fundraiser for generators for Kyiv. Why did you decide to organize it, and how did you unite other civic organizations and initiatives around the idea?

— I was standing on the balcony of my apartment in Warsaw, smoking. It’s very cold here — winter is harsh. A friend called me and said he had money for one generator. If I could get it to Kyiv, he would help buy it.

Imagine me taking one generator and driving it to Kyiv — that’s absurd. So I shared the idea with a group of people who have been helping Ukraine since 2014. Last summer, this group asked me to help paint a Ukrainian flag on the Russian Embassy. Imagine these people — they’re crazy, but very practical and effective. They trust me, and I trust them.

I said there was money for one generator, but maybe we could perform a miracle, like in the Gospel — feed the people with five loaves of bread. Why not? We’re not Jesus, but we strongly believe it’s possible.

We set a goal to raise funds for 100 generators within a week. We believed it was achievable. We know many people in business, we have media, civic organizations. So we launched an online fundraiser called Ciepło z Polski dla Kijowa (Heat from Poland for Kyiv).

Heat is something very practical — you feel its absence with your body. Ukraine is heroic, but in Poland we don’t have drones or missiles. Still, we feel the cold. We know the situation in Ukraine; we’ve been there several times during the war. We have very close friends who sent photos of frozen stairwells and that whole cold hell. Almost all Polish media outlets, TV channels, online influencers, celebrities and businesspeople covered our fundraiser. People responded, and in one day we raised a million zlotys — enough for 200 generators.

After two days, we realized the goal was expanding, the money kept growing and more people were joining our team. There was enormous support, and we noticed something had changed in the feelings and emotions of Polish society. You can’t control or manipulate those feelings, but when you touch people’s hearts and souls and clearly communicate your intentions, people respond.

We have now raised 5.5 million zlotys [the interview was recorded on Jan. 22, and the amount continues to grow]. We have already signed a contract with personnel to deliver the generators to Ukraine. Tomorrow [Jan. 23] at 5 a.m. we will begin the first transfer of generators — more than 250 in total. Everything is well coordinated with the Ukrainian side. So if no one kills us on the way, we will arrive Saturday morning.

— You have already raised more money than initially planned. How long will this campaign last, and what total amount do you hope to raise?

— When we reached the 5 million zloty goal, we decided to see how the fundraising would continue. And people kept sending money. I know what is happening behind the scenes. Companies are calling local authorities in different cities and informing them about the campaign. Today, the Polish government responded to our initiative and also pledged to supply 450 generators.

Fifteen minutes ago, we decided to raise the target to 10 million zlotys [which we have already done]. We will deliver many more generators — not only small ones, but also larger units.

— The backdrop to the generator fundraiser has included extremely critical statements by President Karol Nawrocki about Ukraine, as well as plans by Polish farmers to again block the border to prevent Ukrainian goods from entering Poland. What do Polish citizens think about Nawrocki’s statements and the farmers’ actions? Does this complicate fundraising?

— A week before this campaign began, I was very worried about what President Nawrocki was saying and about what farmers and other groups were preparing against Ukraine. But I believe the fate of Ukraine and Poland is to be together. I do not believe we have any other choice. That is why we launched this campaign.

At this point, I do not care what President Nawrocki thinks or says. If you start managing something, you have to take care of your people — those who share your values, goals and views. I do not have time to think about this.

I do not like President Nawrocki. I believe he is ruining many things. Frankly, he is an idiot. He continues to play this game — Trump, the Peace Council — and members of the Law and Justice party support this kind of campaign.

At the same time, [Law and Justice lawmaker Michał Dworczyk], a staunch defender of [former President Lech] Kaczyński, very right-wing and anti-Ukrainian, only yesterday announced that he supports this campaign [the generator fundraiser]. Can you imagine such a miracle? This is a cynical but very influential environment. My enemies have become my allies in this campaign. So welcome.

— How has the approval rating of the Polish authorities, particularly Nawrocki, changed since the elections? And what trends do you see?

— Nawrocki’s ratings are falling. He is in a very difficult situation. He is no longer a representative of Law and Justice. He wants to be an independent center of power. But he is threatened by the Confederation party and [far-right politician Grzegorz] Braun. He wants to rise above all of this, but that is impossible because he is too weak. He has no real supporters and no real political structure.

I think the situation will continue to change, but all these politicians react too strongly, paying too much attention to polls and to what people think. They act according to poll results. What we need now are strong politicians who are not afraid of their voters and their citizens.

I have published many articles laying out my views and expectations of right-wing Polish nationalist politicians. Of course, nothing good. But I believe it is not enough just to diagnose the situation. I am looking for a cure. And I think this campaign is a kind of cure for nationalist demons and political cynicism. I am trying to respond in a way that has a real impact on society — for the benefit of Ukrainians and Poles.

We cannot be enemies. That is impossible, because NATO is falling apart. I do not want to be right, but I assume that an old European Union country could strike some kind of deal with Russia, the United States or someone else. I pray this does not happen, but I am not naive. That is why we can rely on each other — Ukrainians on Poles and Poles on Ukrainians.

Judging by the extraordinary response of Polish society to this campaign, the reaction of the media and some politicians, people feel this too. They may not articulate it yet, but we must be together for our security. Our allies also include the Nordic countries; the rest can be forgotten. If you understand this, it becomes an instinct for survival. You know that without Ukraine, we will not only fail to be prosperous, but we will not be free as a country. So if you want to survive, you must help Ukraine.

— What is the current attitude of Poles toward Russia’s war against Ukraine? How do they view Russia and Russians?

— It is changing every day. Fear of Russia is growing. That is a good sign — people are responding to facts, to reality. Not to Russian propaganda, but to what they see around them and read in the media.

— Are ordinary Poles preparing for the possibility of war?

— This is happening very slowly. Wealthy people are probably fully prepared. As everywhere, they have opportunities and resources to emigrate and so on. But that is a minority.

Most people are not prepared. Most Poles still do not believe that war will come. But the situation is changing, and people are becoming much more aware. Still, it is not enough. Compared with the Scandinavian countries, they are far better prepared for war.

I hope this will change fairly quickly. It is not easy to prepare a society to leave its comfort zone. Civil society must be involved in preparedness. This is the responsibility of the government. But they do not want to spread fear, because then they appear weak.

— And what about you personally? Do you believe war is possible?

— Yes. I have a family — a wife, two children, one grandchild and another on the way, a disabled dog and a cat. And we decided that regardless of what may happen in Poland, we will stay here.

Today my 21-year-old son asked me why I am going to Ukraine: everyone is fleeing, and you are going in the opposite direction — you are crazy. I told him: “No, I am not crazy. This is very rational and pragmatic, because in this way I am protecting my family here in Poland. I will bring a bit of warmth, and I will slightly change the social mood in Polish society. This is my contribution to my family’s security and to the security of this part of the world.”

We must unite our efforts. We have no other choice. We must win this war together, by any means necessary.

— Poland has sharply increased its military budget and has become a European leader in defense spending as a share of GDP. How do citizens view this?

— People understand that a strong army is needed. The reaction to military spending is this: we have a social and political contract — if you want to protect our lives, our state and our wealth, we need to spend money. There are some debates about whether it is wise to spend so much on personnel or on procurement from the United States, South Korea or Sweden, but overall things are going fairly well.

In my view, the Polish government began acting responsibly after the drone incident [in September 2025, when 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace]. No one was killed, but it was a real threat.

Politicians changed their behavior; statements by [Deputy Prime Minister Radosław] Sikorski and [Prime Minister Donald] Tusk changed. We need brave politicians who act this way.

Perhaps they are now in a difficult position because they want to work with [U.S. President Donald] Trump, but it is impossible to work with crazy people. His behavior in Davos or on Greenland is unpredictable. How can you work with someone if you cannot predict what he will do tomorrow or even in an hour?

— How has Polish society’s attitude toward Ukrainians changed compared with the start of the full-scale invasion and now?

— The reaction of Polish society at the beginning of the full-scale war was explosive. Hundreds of thousands of people opened their homes [to Ukrainians]. The scale of the response and the way Poles behaved was a real miracle. It was an example of how people should act in such a situation.

But after about six months to a year — it was a process, of course — supporters of Kaczyński in government, [former Prime Minister Mateusz] Morawiecki, began using the anti-Ukrainian card. Farmers’ protests began. Russia spent hundreds of millions of dollars on trolls and special psychological operations, and they achieved results. Everyone began playing Ukrainian refugees against Poles and Poles against Ukrainians. Anti-Ukrainian hatred grew.

I hope our campaign helps people realize that we do not want to be haters. We can behave like good people, as we did in 2022. So why are you behaving like idiots, like crazy haters now? Wake up. You are good people. Be a better version of yourselves. I think changes are already happening.

— Which social groups continue to support Ukrainians, and which do not?

— Support comes from the liberal, democratic, human rights-oriented and pro-Ukrainian part of society — roughly 10 to 12 million people, perhaps more, but we should not be overly optimistic. These are voters of [Warsaw Mayor Rafał] Trzaskowski, Tusk and others. In two years we will have elections, and if we do not stop these right-wing nationalists, semi-fascists — the Confederation party, Braun, Nawrocki — they will be in power.

— Why do some Poles have a negative attitude toward Ukrainians despite the fact that they work legally and pay taxes?

— Out of envy. People can be stupid. A certain percentage of Poles are simply idiots. They act like idiots, against their own interests. They are puppets of propaganda and politicians. Governing through fear is a key political tool. Ukrainians are said to be “stealing your jobs,” “taking your women” — whatever. Any argument, any stupid connotation can be used.

Envy and greed are human traits. This part of human nature is mainly exploited by right-wing politicians and by Russia.

— Why do Poles envy Ukrainians despite the war and all the suffering Ukrainians endure?

— For centuries, Poles believed they were the most righteous nation in the world — the messiah of nations. We are the greatest warriors; we sacrificed our lives for Europe’s freedom. And that is true, except for the messiah part. Now the whole world cares about Ukraine, our neighbor. Why not about us? Why is the world not looking at us — how we live, how great we are? It is nonsense. But no one in Poland will tell you this openly, because deep down everyone believes in this myth.

But we are a normal nation, a normal society — sometimes good, sometimes bad. Nothing special.

— Is there indeed a more negative attitude in Poland toward Ukrainian men who are there?

— Yes, because it is very easy to say: “Hey, you are healthy, young — go to the front, defend your country, don’t drive cars.” You know this story — as if every Ukrainian has a Maybach, right? I cannot take this seriously, because it is nonsense.

Of course, there are many explanations. Some Polish men are afraid that Ukrainian men — legendary heroes, strong and handsome — will take their girlfriends. Women in Poland are afraid that beautiful, brave Ukrainian women will take their husbands. This is absolute nonsense, because no data confirms such a process.

— Are Poles ready for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union? What is their mood on this issue?

— Mostly they are not ready, because they do not understand how it would work. Will we lose something, or will we gain something good from Ukraine joining the EU? There will be many difficulties. But this is natural.

When Poland began its own integration process, there were many problems, demonstrations and disputes. But we had the support of the Polish Church and [former Pope] John Paul II. He was an authority in all disagreements. Today we do not have such a unifying authority. And that is a challenge.

Personally, I believe this opens opportunities for us. You are a large country, a large society. I ask myself what Putin sees when he looks at Ukraine and Poland together. For him, it is a real threat — 70 million people, a huge territory, resources, technologies. He sees it as a threat. But for us, it is only an opportunity. It is time to change perspective.

— What are the downsides for Poland of Ukraine joining the EU?

— They are quite obvious: the farmers’ market. Food is already an area of conflict. I do not see other zones of conflict. Perhaps also ambitions — who is the leader.

I treat you Ukrainians as my family. I treat you as allies — cultural, social, political and economic. You have much more gold than the rest of Europe.

— What gold do we have?

— Spirit, character, strength, experience, attitude, your way of thinking about the world. Right now, you are the most well-known nation.

Of course, you have problems, including corruption. But that will evaporate during the integration process.

Over four years [of the full-scale war], I have met so many people from Ukraine — IT specialists, activists, teachers, journalists, businesspeople. You remind me of us in 1989, when we began this path [toward EU membership], but you are much bigger — you are XXL. I believe you will have much greater strength once you realize this. I work with you, I fight with you, I know you, I love you — so I am not crazy.