On Wednesday, February the 16th, chaired by Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, at the Alliance Headquarters in Brussels, the meeting of NATO defence ministers has begun.

“We talked about the threats posed by the aggressive Russian policy and the situation around the borders of Ukraine. I would like to emphasize that everything about security, these forecasts, but also risk assessments are shared by all NATO countries. There is a large convergence of assessments here. It is disturbing that despite Russia's declaration of de-escalation, there are no confirmations that would indicate that Russian troops are withdrawing" - said the minister.

During the working sessions, NATO defence ministers discussed, inter alia, on the situation in the eastern part of Europe, including Russia's actions along NATO's borders and their consequences for Euro-Atlantic security. The heads of the Ministry of Defence also discussed issues related to the preparations for the planned NATO summit in Madrid.

The head of the Ministry of National Defence recalled that regardless of the further development of the situation around Ukraine, the threat from Russia is and will be a factor shaping security in the region.

“The build-up over 100,000 Russian soldiers on three sides around the borders of Ukraine poses a real threat. We must realize that the Poles know it, but our allies, I hope, already know it as well. Thanks to the diplomatic initiative led by the President of the Republic of Poland and the Polish government, we must perceive this situation in a much wider perspective. Regardless of whether Russia will hit Ukraine now or not, the Russian threats are and will be in the near future " - said the head of the Ministry of National Defence.

In connection with the situation in the east, NATO defence ministers take further decisions on strengthening deterrence and defence on the Eastern flank of the Alliance. They also presented the expectations for the new NATO Strategic Concept and discussed the possibilities of increasing defence budgets.

The Minister assured that Poland was ready to receive  additional NATO forces. 

“We are ready to receive more sizable alliance forces. I emphasize that we have got increased American troops, British troops. These soldiers are located in the south-eastern part of our country. Earlier, allied forces were deployed in the north-eastern part of our country, because we should remember about the dangers of a hybrid attack on Poland by the Lukashenka regime. We also know that we are concentrated in the north-eastern part of our country, due to the threats known for years. We also have a Battlegroup of American troops in Poland” – said the Minister.

The head of the Ministry of National Defence emphasized that Poland is not only a recipient of security, but also makes a significant contribution to strengthening the North Atlantic Alliance.

“We are active, it is not that we are only a security recipient in NATO, but we are an important partner. We provide security, for example in Latvia or Romania. We are prepared to effectively deter the aggressor. I mentioned the allied land forces that are on Polish soil, but it is also a squadron of the US Air Force, which is an important deterrent when it comes to air threats. Poland is also represented in the Baltic states as part of the Air Policing mission. It is our pilots who patrol the skies over the Baltic states. I would not like to create the impression that today we have decided on something new. This is a continuation of a process that has started with multi-format conversations" -  emphasized the minister.

In the afternoon, the minister met Kalle LAANET, the Estonian Minister of Defence.

GALLERY>>NATO stands in solidarity with the threats on the Eastern flank