“As our NATO ally, we will firmly support Poland. We will not leave her alone. That is what we will be discussing today. We must consider how to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank in light of what has happened in Poland. Poland’s direct defensive military action, which took place last night, is the first of its kind since Putin launched his illegal invasion in 2022,” declared Healey in his opening speech at the meeting of the European E5 group in London.
Defence Ministers meeting from the E5 Group of Five nations
The British minister stated that Defence Minister (MON) Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who was supposed to attend the summit, “rightly returned home, to Poland, to deal with this attack.”
In his view, Russian aggression has only strengthened allied support for Ukraine. “Russia’s actions are reckless, unprecedented, and dangerous. We completely condemn these attacks. They remind us that a safe Europe requires a strong, sovereign Ukraine” – he added.
“This is a very important moment. The threat of Russian aggression is growing, and Russia’s hostility toward Europe is increasing. We are now looking closely eastward. Polish airspace has been violated. The Poles have shot down Russian drones,” he said.
“We must all remember that Putin disregards any talks about peace,” the politician stressed. “All of us here strongly condemn Putin’s dangerous behavior. We see what he is doing, we know what he is doing, he is testing us,” he added. He assured that his thoughts are with the Polish people.
“As our NATO ally, we will firmly support Poland. We will not leave her alone. That is what we will be discussing today. We must consider how to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank in light of what has happened in Poland,” he declared.
“We would like to address Putin: your aggression only strengthens our determination to remain firm and united. We will continue to stand by Ukraine,” Healey emphasized.
The E5 group includes France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Healey reminded that these countries together account for 60% of European defence spending within NATO.
Poland and France are not taking part in the current E5 summit. On Wednesday morning, the Polish Defence Minister decided to return home in response to Russian drones violating Polish airspace. A French representative will also not participate in the talks in London, as former Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu was appointed Prime Minister on Tuesday by President Emmanuel Macron.
The E5 group was inaugurated in November 2024 during a meeting in Berlin. Since then, ministers have met in this format in Warsaw, Brussels, Paris, and Rome. The goal of the E5 meetings is to strengthen political and military dialogue, particularly in the field of European security and defence. This initiative aims to be a step toward greater European strategic autonomy while maintaining strong ties with NATO.