President Karol Nawrocki gave an extensive interview to the American network Fox Business, in which he addressed regional security issues and Russia’s provocative actions toward Poland. In his conversation with Maria Bartiromo, he emphasized the historic significance of the recent downing of Russian drones by Polish forces.
Commenting on the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones, the President assessed the response of Poland’s allies and armed forces as appropriate. “For the first time in the history of the Third Republic since 1989, drones have been shot down. This will always be the case whenever our borders and our airspace are violated by an aggressor state, which is, of course, Russia,” he declared firmly.
According to Nawrocki, the events of September 10 marked a kind of turning point. Comparing them to the heroic stance of Poles in 1920 against Soviet forces, he stated that modern-day Poles did not allow themselves to be intimidated by Russian provocations.
The President indicated that the action had been planned by the Russian Federation in order “to test Poland’s defense system and the solidarity within NATO member states.” He also emphasized that the violation of Polish airspace was not an isolated incident in the region. Nawrocki recalled the ongoing pressure on the Polish-Belarusian border caused by illegal migrants since 2021, as well as regular Russian provocations in the Baltic Sea basin.
Cooperation with the U.S. and strengthening the military
In the context of cooperation with American allies, the President highlighted the importance of Donald Trump’s security declarations concerning Poland. He pointed to the need for jointly developing anti-drone systems.
President Nawrocki also announced plans to increase the size of the Polish army to 300,000 soldiers, who will be equipped with American hardware. “The cooperation between Poland and the United States is fundamental to building our strategic strength,” he stressed.
The President reminded that Poland is the NATO member state currently spending the highest share of GDP on its military – 4.7 percent, which brings it close to the 5 percent target agreed upon at the Hague summit.
“America has been our most important ally for centuries. This is an alliance based on values: independence and democracy; on our shared attachment to those values. And there is still much ahead of us,”
Nawrocki noted.