“Too many questions are arising in matters crucial to the security of the Republic of Poland, while too few complete and reliable answers exist,” said President Karol Nawrocki during the National Security Council meeting.
Shortly after 2:00 p.m., the National Security Council convened by the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, began its session.
“Too many questions are arising in matters crucial to the security of the Republic of Poland, while too few complete and reliable answers exist, which is why today’s session is devoted to three issues – arms purchases under the SAFE loan, Poland’s invitation to the Peace Council, and the activities of state services regarding the Marshal of the Sejm’s social-business contacts with Eastern partners,” President Nawrocki began.
“Each of these matters concerns a different area of Poland’s security, but they all share one common denominator – the sovereign decision-making of the state and citizens’ trust in the institutions of the Republic, which should provide real, not illusory, security. Regarding the first two points of our meeting, cooperation between all centers of power is required, and we have discussed this repeatedly with the Prime Minister. Without this cooperation, none of these projects can be implemented,” he added.
He acknowledged that today’s session, in his view, is a “state, communal ‘check’ for all of us.”
“We are examining whether the SAFE program can serve the real strengthening of Poland’s security. This does not require excessive public enthusiasm, but it also does not require hasty negation, rather a reliable assessment, clear safeguards, and real oversight,” the president assessed.
He added that this is not a space for “one-sided arrangements,” and security “is an area where every decision must have a purpose, a cost, and consequences.”
“The government should ensure that everyone is engaged in this process, to develop the broadest possible agreement on how these funds will be spent, invested, and monitored,” Karol Nawrocki emphasized.
The president declared that he intends to propose concrete legislative provisions that “will aim to safeguard Poland’s interests and security.”
“I want Poland to approach the SAFE program in a factual and responsible manner, recognizing its potential significance for increasing the defense capabilities of member states, but also seeing the risks involved. In recent days, we have observed significant euphoria from the government and ruling-party politicians, especially in the communication sphere, after Brussels approved Poland’s defense programs under the SAFE loan. In my view, Poles have not received full information about this program, and that is what I wanted to clarify,” he added.
Karol Nawrocki presented a series of questions regarding the SAFE program during the NSC meeting.
“This concerns the loan conditions and conditionality. SAFE funds are not a non-repayable grant; it is a loan, which is why a concrete answer is needed regarding the true costs of this commitment and the conditions under which it is granted. We are talking about €43.7 billion. This is a huge debt that will be repaid over many years. Although SAFE is based on a credit mechanism, one cannot ignore the indirect risk, i.e., the link between disbursements and broader political conditionality. The final decision on disbursements and their conditions will lie with the European Commission. As a national community, we have specific experiences in this matter, notably the RRF mechanism, which proved to be a political, arbitrary instrument. Member states must be certain about the predictability and stability of access to funds. Lack of such certainty raises questions about the resilience of the entire mechanism in crisis situations,” the president assessed.
The president also emphasized the need to strengthen anti-corruption oversight proportional to the scale of the undertaking.
“This is a gap that must be addressed at the legislative stage. It is also reasonable to disclose the list of 139 projects planned under SAFE before the law is signed. I have received worrying information in this regard, but I believe that for transparency and public awareness, it would be valuable to know these 139 projects,” he added.
President Nawrocki addressed government declarations that 89 percent (or 80 percent) of SAFE funds would go to the Polish defense industry.
“This is a direction I fully support, but so far no documents have been presented that would make these declarations credible,” he added.
The president drew attention to “increasing signals, including from abroad,” that the SAFE program’s structure favors the largest Western European corporations rather than states building their own capabilities and closest to potential military conflict.
“The fact that Germany did not request any SAFE funds is not a coincidence. Of course, Germany may seek more favorable credit conditions, but this confirms that their industry will still become one of the main beneficiaries of these funds,” he assessed.
“We all have an interest – the president, the government, and parliamentary factions – in ensuring that the SAFE program does not end up supporting our western neighbor’s economy, which is undergoing a certain crisis,” he added.
Another question concerned whether the Polish Armed Forces could effectively integrate equipment acquired on such a scale in a short time and “whether the structure of these purchases enhances the state’s defense capabilities” and “whether it aligns with the Armed Forces development program for 2025-2039.”
“Without this answer, there is a risk of superficial actions. Costly, rapid, but strategically questionable. The goal cannot simply be ‘buy to buy,'” Karol Nawrocki said.
Regarding the second point of the agenda, the president recalled that Poland received an invitation to the Peace Council.
“This is a proposal that may have real strategic, political, military, alliance, and economic consequences. As the President of Poland, responsible for state security and representing Poland in international relations, I consider it my duty that this matter is analyzed thoroughly and seriously. Especially since this is not a closed topic; it gives rise to events of which the government is aware. On February 19, Poland is invited to Washington for the Peace Council’s inaugural meeting. This shows that the matter is still open and urgent,” he said.
“In my view, the problem is not that the government has doubts today – that is why we are meeting, to clarify them. The problem is that the Polish government has not presented me, as president, despite my discussions with the Prime Minister, any concrete position. Every final decision regarding international structures is ultimately the president’s, but it requires government initiative. I urge the government to adopt any formal position in this matter,” he added.
The president pointed out that there are currently no “recommendations, factual analyses, or opinions.”
“This is deeply irresponsible,” Karol Nawrocki concluded.
He added that there is “blatant disinformation” suggesting that Poland must pay $1 billion to join the Peace Council.
“The Peace Council charter states that a country joins the Council at the invitation of the chair, i.e., the U.S., for a period of three years. After that period, the chair decides on extending participation. This term does not apply only to countries that pay $1 billion in the first year of membership. This payment is voluntary, yet it has been used in public opinion to question the Council’s legitimacy and Poland’s participation,” the president reminded.
Karol Nawrocki emphasized that he expects a clear answer as to whether the Republic of Poland sees this initiative as an opportunity, a risk, or both.
“Does Poland want to be where key decisions are made, or merely observe from the sidelines, outside the decision-making table? Participation in such initiatives cannot be assessed based on personal sympathies or antipathies toward individual leaders. The national interest is guided not by emotions, but by the state’s security. We know well that there are no permanent alliances and no support for nothing,” he said.