Poland’s Leader Says Russia Poses Lasting Threat to Europe
During a trilateral press briefing in Lithuania's capital Vilnius on Sunday alongside Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nawrocki asserted the region's longstanding alerts regarding Russia have been vindicated.
"Policies backing a 'reset' with the Russian Federation are disappearing, but one thing remains unchanged: whether it's Tsarist Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or Vladimir Putin's Russia, our countries, now independent, still face the same threat from the Russian Federation," he said.
"The countries of central and eastern Europe were not wrong in their opinions about the Russian threat, even at a time when western Europe was still focused on climate policy or letting in illegal immigrants," he added, media reported.
The three heads of state convened to commemorate the 1863 January Uprising against Russian imperial control—a failed insurrection seeking to resurrect the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that Tsarist military forces crushed one year afterward.
Nawrocki said the uprising remained symbolically important, describing it as a moral victory that preserved national identity and sent a message that "surrender is not an option."
He said the lesson remains relevant today "in a world in which imperial aggression is once again reviving."
The president further emphasized expanding regional military collaboration, commending Lithuania's projected defense expenditure anticipated to hit 5.4% of gross domestic product—surpassing Poland's current allocation.
"Poland allocates nearly 5% of its GDP to the development of the Polish armed forces. We have the most powerful army in the region, with over 200,000 Polish soldiers. Therefore, I am full of praise for Lithuania," he said.
Nawrocki added that Polish troops will be able to train at a new Lithuanian military area near the Suwalki Gap, the narrow corridor between Russia's Kaliningrad exclave and Belarus, widely seen as a potential flashpoint in any future conflict.
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