Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg took part in talks focusing on cooperation within the framework of NATO and bolstering international security. The politicians stated that they are aware of the need to provide military assistance to Ukraine, as it defends itself against Russian aggression. 

“I am convinced that the cooperation between Poland and the United Kingdom can be and likely is perceived as a model by other partners. This is also something we talked about while with NATO Secretary-General," said Donald Tusk.  

During his visit to the 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a new military aid package for Ukraine. 

“We have donated a total of 0.5 billion pounds within the framework of our cooperation. We want to help Ukraine defend itself against this relentless bombardment from Russia,” the British Prime Minister stated. 

Since the first day of the Russian aggression, Poland and the United Kingdom have been standing with Ukraine.

The European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) is an international European airspace defence project. Poland wants to join these efforts to bolster the security of our skies.

“I am glad to be working even more closely with our British friends as part of this initiative. We are already working together within the framework of the British Diamond initiative, which also boosts our security and helps us protect our skies,” the Polish Prime Minister stated during the press conference.   

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom expressed his assurances that RAF Typhoon fighter jets and nearly 16,000 troops will be stationed in Poland as soon as next year. 

“We are working together to build frigates and a next-generation anti-aircraft system to defend Polish skies. We will also develop our cooperation across various initiatives in order to foster synergies in the field of air defence," the British Prime Minister added.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for putting an end to the competition between different initiatives aimed at bolstering Europe’s defence and focusing on cooperation instead.

“We need to develop a coordinated security policy for the entire continent and the United Kingdom. We also need to get all our partners to fully coordinate their systems, equipment, as well as security policies. We need more actual measures and fewer conferences, letters, initiatives and policies,” the Polish Prime Minister added.  

Ensuring the security of its citizens should be the key objective for Europe.

Poland and the United Kingdom continue to face challenges of irregular migration. Prime Minister Donald Tusk and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak exchanged their experiences and views on countering the influx of irregular migrants.  

“We share the same outlook and we are guided by the same convictions. Securing the borders should be the key task for any government, and both British and Polish cabinets are no exceptions. We need to protect our citizens, our territory and our borders,” Mr. Tusk noted.

“We are facing irregular migration, which Putin and Lukashenko use as a weapon.  We have been helping Poland with protecting its border and combating trafficking gangs for years,” said Rishi Sunak.  

Prime Minister Donald Tusk thanked the British Prime Minister for his understanding of the situation faced by Poland, as it borders Russia and Belarus.