Poland, Building a Resilient Defence System Against Russian Expansion

"This is a watershed moment in the history of both Poland and the European Union [with the signing of the Security Action for Europe defence budget]."

"Poland will be safer in these difficult and highly risky times."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (May 2026), Warsaw

 

"Poland has long warned the rest of Europe of Russia's expansionist ambitions, even when other EU leaders weren't always willing to listen."

"Poland sees itself as a guarantor of regional security along the EU and NATO's eastern frontier, including the more vulnerable Baltic states. 

"[Poland's history with Nazi and Communist occupations has made its leaders] wary of being caught unprepared for foreign aggression."

"NATO's resolve is the single biggest deterrent to a westward expansion of the current conflict. Poland led the way at the start of the full-scale [Russian]invasion of Ukraine by supplying weaponry to the Ukrainians, that some said would lead to 'escalation'."

"[A key indicator of the program's success] will be a strong and sovereign Ukraine, because stability to Poland's east is inseparable from Poland's own."

Dominic Roszak, president, Canadian Polish Congress

Poland is spending more on defence than any other large EU nation. / WIKI COMMONS

 

With mysterious cyberattacks on Polish railways and hospitals; drones and missiles straying across Polish borders; jets scrambling to intercept Russian aircraft over the Baltic, it is more than obvious to Polish politicians that the imperative for deterrence is here and now, not at some indeterminate time in the future when it might face an existential crisis. Now, a European Union loan has enabled Warsaw to commit close to 44 billion euros toward upgrading its military infrastructure.

 

Poland has become the largest single beneficiary of Security Action for Europe's 150-billion-euro defence budget to modernize its military, expand its domestic arms sector and reward Polish companies collaborating with defence manufacturers. Poland has long plannede to commit 4.8 percent of the Nation's GDP to defence. Poland's link with Canada will see them pursue "joint projects involving emerging technologies", according to the Canadian Department of National Defence.

 

Poland is investing billions in a major military build-up to deter Russia, strengthen NATO and bolster European security. Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI /AFP via Getty Images

 

"For us, safety -- or I would say lack of safety - is a very present topic. It started long before the full state invasion of Russia to Ukraine."

"Russia has been always a threat for centuries. And we know that there is not much needed for Russia to be encouraged to attack again, either us or Baltic states."

Natalia Walsh Iwaszko, former vice consul economic affairs, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Toronto  

According to Minister Bartosz Grodecki, head, National Security Bureau of the Republic of Poland, in the almost 30 years in NATO, Poland has "transformed from a recipient of security to a creator of it". Poland, he stated, is aware that in "the event of an attack,the costs of a defensive operation and the consequences of wartime destruction will be far greater than those incurred in building a resilient defence system." 

 

As a result of the current paradigm shift and the consequent reconstruction of the international order, Poland is taking massive action to ensure its national and international security.  fondapol.org

 

"[Poles today] are conscious of bad things happening. It's a part of Polish history ... So they are attuned to kind of, better be prepared, and prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and work for the best."

"Reliance on America for moneys [sic] and/or sophisticated systems, which need constant replacement and upgrading [is precarious and unpredictable] with [U.S. President] Donald Trump being Donald Trump." 

David Lesperance, Lesperance & Associates, Gdynia, Baltic port city, northern Poland