This initiative, which is part of a larger $2.5 billion border fortification program, will include advanced surveillance systems and anti-drones to boost national security.
Cezary Tomczyk, deputy defense minister, said that Poland will begin building the first elements along its border with Russia and Belarus before the end of 2024.
Poland is Ukraine’s western neighbour. It has hosted millions Ukrainian refugees since Russia’s full scale invasion began and has been a key supplier of military assistance to Ukraine. The country borders Russia, and Belarus is its closest ally. Poland, along with the Baltic states is considered a potential future target for Russian aggression should Ukraine fall.
This initiative is part a larger plan, announced in May, to invest 10 billion zlotys (2.5 billion dollars) in fortifying Poland’s northern and east borders by 2028.
The project, which was prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, aims at strengthening Poland’s border defenses through fortifications and surveillance systems.
“In the next few weeks, we’ll be able conduct the first tests on Polish military training grounds of the East Shield components,” said Deputy Defence Minister Tomczyk.
Tomczyk revealed that the project will be developed in collaboration between Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as well as British and American forces. This highlights the international nature of this initiative.
The country will increase its military spending from 4.2% to 4.7% of its GDP in 2024.
When asked about the future of defense spending, Wladyslaw Ksiniak-Kamysz, the Minister of Defense, said that it should continue to rise.
Kosiniak Kamysz, however, expressed concern over the recent escalation in conflict in the Middle East. He warned that the recent escalation of conflict in the Middle East could shift attention away from Ukraine, especially from the United States.
In June, Poland, the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and the United Kingdom called on NATO to establish a strong defense line along Europe‘s eastern border as a response to increased security concerns due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
France’s FM stated that Ukraine has not “asked us to send troops”, but nothing is excluded in the near term. Baltic foreign ministers praise France’s “outside-the-box thinking”.
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