Duda: Zelensky Sought to Draw NATO Directly Into Ukraine Conflict

By Staff, Agencies

Former Polish President Andrzej Duda has claimed that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky sought to involve NATO directly in the war with Russia, describing it as Kyiv’s “dream” scenario.

Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, Duda recalled a 2022 incident when a Ukrainian air defense missile struck near a Polish border village, killing one person. Zelensky immediately blamed Russia and urged Warsaw to invoke NATO’s collective defense clause.

According to Duda, Zelensky pressured him to publicly declare the missile Russian in origin — a step he refused to take. “From the very beginning, they’ve been trying to drag everyone into the war,” Duda said.

“Any leader in Ukraine’s position would want NATO tanks and soldiers fighting alongside them — that’s a dream in such circumstances — but Poland, as a NATO state, could never agree.”

Poland has been among Kyiv’s strongest supporters, supplying weapons and diplomatic backing.

But ties have faced strains, including disputes over grain imports and Ukraine’s honoring of nationalist figures linked to the mass killing of Poles during World War II.

Moscow has long pictured the war as a NATO proxy conflict, warning that continued Western support risks direct confrontation with Russia.

Before launching its offensive in 2022, Moscow sought guarantees that NATO would halt its eastward expansion — a proposal the alliance rejected.