Poland in NATO

On February 16-17, a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers chaired by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was held at the Alliance Headquarters in Brussels.

 

“We talked about the threats posed by the aggressive Russian policy, on the situation around the borders of Ukraine. I would like to emphasize that our forecasts about the security situation and the 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 Defense Ministers discussed i.a. 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 Defense also discussed issues related to the preparations for the NATO Summit in Madrid.

 

The head of the Ministry of National Defense 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 gathering of over 100,000 Russian soldiers on three sides around the borders of Ukraine poses a real threat. We must comprehend it. The Poles know it, but our Allies, I hope, also know it. 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 context. Regardless of whether Russia will hit Ukraine now or not, Russian threats are and will be in the near future” - said the head of the Ministry of National Defense.

 

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

 

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

 

“We are ready to accept greater Allied forces. I emphasize that we have increased American forces, British forces. 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 due to the hybrid attack on Poland by the Lukashenka regime. We are concentrated in the north-eastern part of our country due to the threats known for years. We also have a brigade battle group of American troops in Poland” - he said.

 

The head of the Ministry of National Defense emphasized that Poland is not only a security recipient, 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 ground forces that are on the Polish soil, but it is also a squadron of the US Air Force, which is an important deterrent when it comes to airborne 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 the process that was initiated through talks in many formats” - emphasized the minister.

 

On the second day of the session, NATO ministers met with representatives of Georgia and Ukraine, as well as with the European Union, Sweden and Finland.

 

On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, Minister Błaszczak also met with the Minister of Defense of Estonia, Kalle LAANET, the Minister of Defense of Canada, Anita Anand, and the Minister of Defense of Germany, Christine Lambrecht.