Regardless of whether peace with Ukraine is signed or not, Russia will remain a threat to Europe. ”I think it will continue to attack other countries,” President Karol Nawrocki said in an interview with the American television network CNBC during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
During the summit in Davos, President Karol Nawrocki told the largest American business network CNBC that in the event of a conflict with Russia in the near future, we must prepare by “stockpiling weapons, increasing our defense capabilities, and building solidarity.”
He emphasized that Poland is the target of a hybrid war by Russia. Among hostile actions, he mentioned pressure on our borders, the situation in the Baltic Sea, attacks on infrastructure, and violations of our airspace. “Poland is a state on NATO’s eastern flank, and we in Poland are also experiencing the effects of the war in Ukraine,” he noted. “Poland has been helping Ukraine since 2022. We have a million Ukrainians in Poland. Over 90 percent of global aid to Ukraine passes through Jasionka, and regardless of my personal relations with President Zelensky, that does not change,” he added.
Strong NATO only with the U.S.
Asked about tensions between some North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) countries and the United States, the Polish president pointed out that “today, a strong NATO is not possible without U.S. involvement, which pays 65 percent of NATO’s defense budget to maintain the security of Europe and the world.” Nawrocki stressed that he understands Donald Trump’s pressure on European leaders to have their countries spend more on defense within NATO. “Poland, Finland, the Baltic states, and NATO’s eastern flank feel responsible for collective security. We are not only recipients but also providers of security. That is how Donald Trump thinks – that Europe must build its security, purchase military equipment, because war is around the corner,” he added.
He emphasized that “it is better to spend money on preparing for war and preventing war than to spend money on rebuilding after war.” “I think NATO is strong today, but I would expect greater involvement from European countries in the defense of the entire continent. For many years, Europe focused on issues that, from our perspective – Central and Eastern Europe – were debatable – migration, climate policy, identity politics. Many mistakes were made by focusing on ideological issues instead of preparations for what we are facing today,” Karol Nawrocki assessed.