In an interview with TV Republika, former Deputy Minister of National Defence Wojciech Skurkiewicz sharply criticized the planned signing of a loan under the SAFE program. In the senator’s view, it will be “a ceremony of Poland’s financial enslavement for a long 45 years”.
Wojciech Skurkiewicz, speaking to TV Republika, left no doubt about his assessment of the government’s SAFE loan. He emphasized that the principal amount is 185 billion zlotys, but together with interest Poland will pay nearly 400 billion zlotys by 2070.
“In addition to 185 billion zlotys, by 2070 we will pay another nearly 200 billion in interest. This means the total loan will amount to around 400 billion zlotys”, said the guest of TV Republika.
He added that “everyone eagerly talks about this loan as if it were 180 billion – this is absolutely a false narrative”.
Skurkiewicz also pointed to the political dimension.
“Donald Tusk will not sign this loan. Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz will sign it. Once again, Tusk is relying on Kosiniak to handle key matters”, he said.
He recalled that former head of the National Security Bureau, Professor Sławomir Cenckiewicz, had called Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz “the greatest liability for the Polish army”.
The former deputy head of the Ministry of National Defence stressed the many uncertainties surrounding the loan. “There are more unknowns regarding this SAFE loan than things we actually know”. He noted that Poland is the first country in Europe to decide on such financing, and that agreements are to be signed by the end of May – even though they do not yet exist.
“This is one big sham”, Skurkiewicz assessed, referring to the government’s assurances about the readiness of the documentation.
He pointed out that the Polish arms industry currently has a capacity of around 23 billion zlotys annually, while the SAFE program requires increasing production capabilities by an additional 40 billion zlotys per year on average by 2030. In the senator’s opinion, this is unrealistic.
The TV Republika guest also indicated that a significant portion of the funds will flow abroad. The loan will be financed mainly by German, French, and Spanish banks. Contracts with the United States and South Korea have been excluded from the program, despite the fact that it is from those countries that “the most modern, best, and battle-tested equipment” originates.