Polish defense chief: Poland ready to face Russia’s threats

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz laid out his country’s plans to deal with feared Russian aggression, such as possible missile infiltrations and conflict on its borders, in an interview with VOA Eastern Europe Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze.

Plans include bolstering air defenses to building a $2.1 billion “East Shield,” he said Tuesday.

“Polish F-16s are ready to act if a missile threatens our territory,” he said, confirming the military’s heightened readiness amid the war in Ukraine. Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized the urgency of European countries pulling their weight in defense, warning that NATO’s unity is key to keeping American forces in Europe.

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of letting up, Poland is leading the charge in Europe, spending more on defense than any other NATO member and urging others to follow suit.

This interview, translated from Polish, has been edited for brevity and clarity.

VOA: You’re buying a lot of equipment from the United States. How do you assess this cooperation, and what are you looking forward to?

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz: Our cooperation is really at the best possible level. I have concluded several contracts worth dozens of billions of dollars, including the purchase of 26 Apache aircraft. Poland will be one of the best armies equipped with attack aircraft, Apaches. We’re talking about a strategic partnership, and I think we are meeting President [-elect Donald] Trump’s expectations. We’re spending a lot on armaments, and we have good trade relations. We’re buying a lot of equipment in the U.S. That’s a guarantee of security, as well as it is investment in U.S. production.

VOA: How do you assess the Russian threat today, and who are Poland’s main adversaries?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: Russia is the greatest threat since the end of World War II. Many people have said that since the end of the second World War, but today, it’s not the Cold War. We have an active war just beyond our border. We have crises — a conflict in the Near East. We have a conflict situation in the Pacific and also, recently, the developments in Syria have totally changed the position of Russia, Iran and other countries. So, we are living in very difficult times. Poland is spending 4.7% of its GDP —the greatest amount among NATO member states on defense — on armaments. Why are we spending that money? Because the situation is utmost difficult. The threat from Russia is realistic. The citizens of Ukraine are experiencing it every day.

VOA: How important it is to invest in defense, and how would you encourage others to put more into defense?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: Two percent is not enough. It is the absolute minimum. I believe that the 2% of GDP that NATO countries have committed to, and those that do not meet it, will not even be invited to the table with the new Trump administration. … So, all countries must fulfill their obligations. … Europe must do more for security, not to replace the Americans in Europe, but to keep them in Europe. If we do not spend more on security, if other countries do not follow Poland’s example, we will not be able to keep Americans in Europe.

The EU has created the program for defense development, but it has assigned just 1.5 billion euros ($1.55 billion). It’s just symbolic. Where are the capacities to manufacture the munitions that North Korea, Russia and Iran have? Europe, as well as the Western world, the U.S., Canada and our allies don’t have those capacities. We have to make up for it. 100 billion euros ($103 billion) — that would be the money we should be talking about.

VOA: So, are you saying that Europe is not ready to fight the active war today?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: We are ready — we have to be ready each day. But Europe has to be more ready to a better extent each day. So, it’s not enough to say that we are ready and do nothing. A lot has happened since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. But it’s still not enough to say that it’s at the best level. We have to be ready to fight each time of day and night, each state. We are prepared for that. But each day, we could be prepared better, hence the pressure that we are exerting on other countries. Hence the building of a resilient society. This is something that Western societies don’t have today. …

We have already been attacked with lies, fake news, with misinformation. And it does not matter if you live next to the border with the Kaliningrad region, near the Belarusian border here in Poland, or [if] you live in Portugal, in Quebec, or anyplace today. You are being attacked. Russia has already attacked you.

VOA: Poland has experienced Belarusian helicopters entering its airspace. A Russian missile violated Poland’s airspace during an attack on Ukraine. Is Poland ready to do something about it?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: The situation of infringing the airspace of Poland also affects Latvia, often affecting Romania with UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), and we’ve prepared the air defense system. We also have enhanced air defense. We’re talking about Rzeszow Airport, which is almost being passed onto the protection of NATO. Our allies —America, Britain, Germany, Norway and other nations — are protecting us at the air base. And if that airspace is infringed, then the target missile or a drone can be shot [down]. … But it’s a different situation when it comes to shooting targets above the Ukrainian territory. There is no NATO decision on that position, or agreement to do so. We are protecting our territories.

VOA: Are you saying that if a rocket infiltrates Polish airspace, you’re ready to shoot them down?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: Very often, we activate our F-16s to act accordingly, if there is a danger to Polish territory, to defend our territory.

VOA: But it hasn’t happened yet?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: No, because there has been no such event where the missile would be aimed at a target in the Polish territory. But yes, last week, the Polish F-16s took off and were ready to protect near the border.

VOA: There are talks about the defense line you’re building on the eastern border called the “East Shield.” What are the plans for that for the next year or two?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: This is preparation for the event of a conflict on the Polish-Russian, Polish-Belarusian borders. We are building barriers that will complicate the movement of enemy troops. We are also building warehouses for artillery and other means of defense. We are building places for the defense of manpower. …. This should be combined with the Baltic line of defense, [and] strengthening the Russian-Finnish border. In addition, we are increasing protection against illegal migrants.

VOA: French President Emmanuel Macron visited Poland last week and hinted at the idea of Polish and French military personnel going to Ukraine as security guarantees if a peace agreement is signed. Poland declared it was not planning to do so. Why?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: We have not seen any peace plan from President Trump yet. There are many reports in the press about this or that outcome, following the example of Finland, or the example of Germany, but these are all speculations. We exclude the possibility of the Polish military being on the territory of Ukraine. We believe that such decisions should not be made by the group of countries, but NATO should have a key role in this decision. We will consider further steps when that stage comes. At this stage, as you said, we do not plan to send troops to Ukraine.

VOA: So, if NATO would make that decision, you’re open to it?

Kosiniak-Kamysz: Well, we’ll see. I won’t be making any declarations here. I’m just saying that we are not planning to deploy any troops to Ukraine, as long as the peace process has not been finalized, and that is not possible without Ukraine at the table. 
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