Tusk: The first section of the East Shield on the border with Russia is ready! I felt really safe.
Credit:X:@donaldtusk
Amid Europe’s tense preparations for imminent war, Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk travelled to his country’s border with the Russian city of Kalingrad on Saturday to view progress of military fortifications erected along the eastern frontier.
The visit comes ahead of Tusk’s assimilation of the role of rotating president in the 27-member European Union, a role he will take next month. According to Polish officials, significant priority will be given to solidifying European defences due to escalating Russian aggression and fears that Donald Trump’s administration may detract from Europe’s defence strategies. Not only this, but other proposals include alliances between Nordic and Baltic countries in terms of joint navy patrols in the strategically-important zone of the Baltic Sea. This comes after the highly suspicious sabotage of undersea data cables.
The system of 800 kilometres (500 miles) of fortification along Poland’s borders with Russia and Belarus, known as the East Shield, in already underway. This is just one of several rather chilling measures bering taken acroiss Europe as Russia has been accused by Western officials of waging hybrid attacks against the West including sabotage, the weaponization of migration, disinformation and other hostile measures. At a news conference, standing in front of anti tank barricades near the village of Dabrowka, Tusk said: “The better the Polish border is guarded, the more difficult it is to access for those with bad intentions.”
Poland prepares itself again for possible attack and invasion
This is not the first time that Poland has had to prepare itself for attack or invasion. Sadly, it has been the victim of several aggressive neighbours over the last few centuries and now has become a leading voice amid a bloc of countries – some of whom have internal problems of their own. Next year, as Poland gains strong ground in the European Union, it aims to spend 4.7 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defence – a leading figure in defence spending.
The East Sield is estimated to cost at least 10 billion zlotys (almost £2 billion) and will hopefully add greater security as Poland’s frontiers with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine are the easternmost external borders of both the European Union and NATO. Tusk hopes that the East Shield will continue to expand to safeguard other at-risk countries including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Tusk commented on the construction saying: “Everything we are doing here — and we will also be doing this on the border with Belarus and Ukraine — is to deter and discourage a potential aggressor, which is why it is truly an investment in peace.” He added: “We will spend billions of zlotys on this, but right now the whole of Europe is observing these investments and our actions with great satisfaction and will support them if necessary.”
East Shield in Poland – the largest project of its kind since WWII
The project, which isn’t fully visible, will be the largest project of its kind in Europe since the end of World War II and will be accompanied by further plans including logistics hubs and anti-drone systems amongst others.
Read more about Poland
