During his speech in the Sejm, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that “if the SAFE instrument is not implemented and in the event of another raid next year we fail to shoot down Russian drones over Poland, those who vote against SAFE will share the responsibility.”
Sikorski on SAFE in the Sejm
Radosław Sikorski, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke in his address about the SAFE loan, emphasizing the importance of leveraging the European Union’s financial potential for defense development. He explained that this is the purpose of the instrument to strengthen Europe’s security, known as SAFE. Member states have access to €150 billion in low-interest loans for industrial investments in defense. Almost one-third of this amount, nearly €44 billion, will go to Poland’s needs. These loans are significantly cheaper than those obtained by the State Treasury. In total, there will be 129 projects, with 80 percent of expenditures being investments in Polish industry, he said.
The politician stressed that “if the SAFE instrument is not implemented and in the event of another raid next year we fail to shoot down Russian drones over Poland, those who vote against SAFE will share the responsibility.” He also added that, allegedly by taking the SAFE loan, Poland would fulfill “the rightful demand of the USA for Europe to take greater responsibility for security.”
He addressed the opposition’s claims that military investments serve Berlin. “This is not true,” said the Foreign Minister.
Sikorski also responded to American criticism of SAFE. “Investments are the most rational response to Washington’s appeals and should be understood on both sides of the Atlantic. Let us not look for enemies where we have allies. The threat to Poland’s security comes from one direction, the east, not the west,” he said.
These words by the Foreign Minister triggered a striking reaction from the United States Ambassador, Tom Rose. The diplomat appeared visibly taken aback by what he heard, and the moment was captured on camera.
Controversies Around SAFE
Over the past year, the German defense sector, led by Rheinmetall, has signed multiple agreements in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, and Italy in preparation for the launch of the EU SAFE loan fund. Poland is expected to take on a record €43.7 billion debt under this fund, and much of these funds will likely go to German weapons manufacturers.
Andrew Puzder, US Ambassador to the European Union, and Matthew Whitaker, US Ambassador to NATO, noted in a comment published on Politico that US-EU defense cooperation is “more important than ever,” and that “limiting the participation of the US defense industry in European public procurement programs threatens this partnership and weakens collective security.” They also reminded that EDIP and SAFE, by maintaining control over the design, configuration, and further modifications of defense systems, “threaten intellectual property rights, constrain supply chains, and hinder transatlantic operability.”