Polish PM Tusk, EU’s von der Leyen visit Belarus border amid security concerns

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have arrived in Krynki, on Poland’s border with Belarus, for talks on defence and security, with discussions focusing on strengthening the European Union’s eastern frontier.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk (centre-right) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (centre-left) during a visit to the storage site of the "East Shield" components at the Polish-Belarusian border in Krynki, August 31.

Photo: PAP/Artur Reszko

The leaders joined senior officers of the Border Guard and the military in Krynki, in Poland’s Podlaskie region, where Warsaw has reinforced its frontier against what it calls hybrid actions and migration pressure orchestrated by Belarus and Russia.

Poland has built a 5.5-metre-high steel fence along 186 km of the frontier, backed by electronic surveillance covering more than 200 km.

In the neighbouring Lublin region, a 171-km electronic barrier runs along the Bug river.

Talks in Krynki also include the EU’s SAFE programme of preferential loans, part of wider efforts to bolster Europe’s defence capabilities as Russia expands its military potential.

Dear @donaldTusk, Poland is the largest defence spender in Europe – and you will be the biggest beneficiary from SAFE.

To match Poland’s readiness, we have proposed a fivefold increase in defence investments.

And a ten-fold increase in funding for military mobility.

Together… pic.twitter.com/m8skDgffp9

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 31, 2025

Later in the day, Tusk and von der Leyen were expected to view storage sites for elements of the planned "East Shield" system and inspect sections of the upgraded border barrier, before making statements to the media.

Von der Leyen’s stop in Poland is part of a broader tour of EU countries bordering Russia and Belarus, which also includes Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Latvia, Bulgaria and Romania.

(ał)

Source: PAP