More than 1 million citizens of Ukraine reside in Poland, and they make a major contribution to the Polish economy, former President of Poland (1995-2005) Aleksander Kwasniewski said.
"It must be said how glad we are that they are here. This is truly a major contribution to the Polish economy. They work officially, legally, they pay taxes. And in some sectors of the Polish economy, they are extremely important for the service sector, for the healthcare system, for the health of the elderly, construction, and so on. So we must speak about this openly: this is not a problem for Poland – it is a chance for Ukrainians to have a job and earn well, and also for Poland and the Polish economy," Kwasniewski said, speaking at the event "Strategic Cooperation for the Prosperity of Ukraine: Joining Efforts of the State, Private Sector, and Donors to Promote Recovery" within the framework of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) in Gdansk, Poland, on Wednesday.
He also noted the importance of this under the conditions that may arise after a ceasefire in Ukraine, with the start of the implementation of reconstruction projects. "We have many proposals because we are close. We are neighbors. We have experience on both sides. Polish companies operated quite successfully in Ukraine. We have many Ukrainian companies and Ukrainians working in Poland. So, this is a certain base that we must use. The same applies to financial organizations, banks, groups, companies, etc. We truly have capital that can be very decisive in this recovery project. And we must use it," the former president said.
In addition, Kwasniewski emphasized that Poland is also open to multilateral cooperation. "We are very glad to see our partners from the European Union. I am very glad that here, among you, we have a guest from Japan and Korea," he said.
At the same time, the former president urged not to waste time in implementing these projects. "My long experience in politics shows that the main mistake of politicians is that before elections they talk about many programs, many projects, etc., and everything looks so beautiful, and finally, after winning the elections, they try to show something concrete, and it is almost nothing. We cannot repeat such a mistake. We must be ready for the fact that after this period we will have a real reconstruction, with certain elements. There is no reason to wait even now. But especially after the start of this more normal life in Ukraine, we must be ready, having truly serious projects, prepared projects, good cooperation and mutual understanding, which together lead to progress," Kwasniewski added.
He noted that the conference is taking place at "a very strange moment in Polish-Ukrainian relations, very closely connected with the past, with history," emphasizing that "we must show the truth about history, but history is unchangeable; what can be created is the future." The former president stressed that together Ukraine and Poland can do "much more."
"And I am sure that the future of Ukraine, the future of a westernized Ukraine as part of our European democratic family, will soon be very strong, very effective and very, very expected," Kwasniewski said.
