Tusk: Polish army will be the largest in Europe

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said today in Gdynia, at a naval parade, that Poland does not want new battles, that it wants to avoid war, but that only those who are strong, ready, truly independent and sovereign can do so.

"Our army, our armed forces, will soon be the largest in Europe. We can already say today that we are creating a force that will decide the fate of the region, by being modern, numerous, and the whole world admires that, especially our allies," said the Polish Prime Minister.

Tusk stressed that Poland is not arming itself due to the ambitions of individual politicians, but rather in difficult geopolitical circumstances that require increased investments in security.

"Today we proudly say to the whole world, but above all to those who would like to illegally cross our borders or invade by force: you will not pass without the permission of the Polish state. We have invested the efforts of thousands of soldiers, border guards and police in this," said Tusk about the enhanced protection of Poland's and the European Union's borders with Belarus and Russia and the so-called Eastern Shield defense project.

In addition to a strong economy and large investments in the army, the Prime Minister cited true alliances and a wise foreign policy as further pillars of Polish security, giving as an example the strategic alliance with the countries around the Baltic Sea, but also with France, Great Britain and the Netherlands.

"We can discuss Polish-Ukrainian relations, but no one can doubt that we are helping Ukraine in its war with Russia for the sake of our security. We are doing this for ourselves, for Poles, not for anyone else," said Tusk, adding that Poland played a key role in preventing divisions in NATO and not being faced with a choice: the US or Europe.

Tusk cited disputes on the domestic political scene as a security threat, accusing the opposition of trying to cause division, and, forgetting about Russia, he identified the European Union and Germany as Poland's main enemy.

"Those parties, those politicians who try to convince you that our main problem is Europe, that our enemy is Ukraine, that we don't need the EU, and that Germany is the worst enemy. They somehow forget about Russia, a dangerous neighbor who is waging a war close to our borders, and occasionally that war crosses over to our side of the border," Tusk said.

The Prime Minister warned that some opposition conservative nationalist politicians are fleeing to hide in Belarus or the Russian sphere of influence, when they should be held criminally accountable in their homeland.

On the 106th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw in the Polish-Russian War, which stopped the Red Army's advance to the west, and which is celebrated as national Army Day, the Polish Prime Minister reminded that Poland can only be safe if there is no betrayal and utter irresponsibility within it.

This year, Tusk chose to mark Army Day at a naval parade, while President Karol Nawrocki is at the annual military parade in Warsaw.

A convoy of 20 Polish warships and two from Sweden, five kilometers long, is being presented in Gdynia and Gdansk, and some of the Polish and allied aircraft that patrol the Baltics as part of NATO are flying above them.