Polish PM visits newly constructed fortifications on Belarusian border

Record ID: 1985649

  • Title: Polish PM visits newly constructed fortifications on Belarusian border
  • Date: 22nd March 2025
  • Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (MARCH 22, 2025) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) VARIOUS OF ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTERS MARCHING ON THE WAY TO JOIN WITH HOSTAGES PROTEST AT TEL AVIV'S BEGIN GATE TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (MARCH 22, 2025) (REUTERS) ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTERS GATHERING AT HABIMA SQUARE PROTESTERS GATHERING, SIGN ON BUILDING READING (English): "BRING THEM HOME" (SOUNDBITE) (English) 63-YEAR-
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Donald Tusk EU defence Polish border
  • Location: OZIERANY MALE, POLAND / BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • City: OZIERANY MALE, POLAND / BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • Country: Poland
  • Topics: Defence,Europe,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA005071521032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Poland's Prime Minister, along with the Defence and Interior Ministers, visited the Polish-Belarusian border on Saturday (March 22) to inspect the fortified border barrier, a part of the country's enhanced defence programme.
    Poland had previously disclosed a 10 billion zloty ($2.55 billion) initiative named "East Shield", aimed at bolstering its defences along the eastern border with Belarus and Russia, with an expected completion date of 2028.
    Europe is dramatically stepping up spending on defence because of concern that the United States, which had guaranteed Europe's security since the end of World War Two, was no longer keen to do so, shifting its attention to the Indo-Pacific.
    European Union (EU) leaders are now in agreement that the EU must be fully capable of defending itself against a Russian attack by 2030, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday (March 22) speaking after a summit of EU leaders that discussed the EU plan to step up defence readiness.
    Tusk said the five-year deadline corresponded to an analysis by NATO head Mark Rutte that this was the amount of time Europe had before Russia rebuilt its offensive capabilities, after losses suffered in Ukraine, sufficiently to be ready to attack Europe.
    He made clear this did not mean Europe expected an attack by Russia in 2030.
    (Production: Kuba Stezycki, Malgorzata Wojtunik)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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