Speaking to foreign military attachés posted in Warsaw, Kosiniak-Kamysz outlined Poland’s security strategy during a meeting at the Military University of Technology (WAT).
He said Poland’s goal is to rank among the top three NATO countries in terms of military capabilities.
“We are building a strong and safe Poland in a friendly environment, seeking friends rather than pointing to enemies,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
He added that Russia, which he accused of waging hybrid warfare, poses the most serious threat to peace and stability in Europe.
Poland, he said, remains a country that seeks peace but recognises that “peace needs strength to defend itself.”
“I want to assure everyone that our armaments are meant to ensure that no one ever considers attacking Poland or the NATO alliance,” he said.
Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that Poland has sharply increased defence spending in recent years and already has one of NATO’s three largest armed forces by personnel. Achieving top-tier operational capability, he said, will require not only military strength but also broader national and societal resilience.
He stressed the importance of strong transatlantic ties, saying NATO cannot exist without the United States—nor can US global strength endure without the alliance.
“These two aspects are deeply intertwined,” he said, adding that the European Union complements NATO by strengthening defence production capacity and industrial independence rather than competing with the alliance.
Beyond ties with Washington, Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland is deepening cooperation with northern European allies, including the Nordic and Baltic states, as well as Germany, Britain and the Netherlands.
He also highlighted partnerships in southern Europe, including cooperation with Romania and Turkey, as well as Visegrad Group countries, France, Canada and South Korea.
He described “the E5 format”—bringing together Poland, France, Germany, Italy and Britain—as another key platform for defence coordination, announcing that the next meeting of defence ministers in that group is scheduled for February in the southern Polish city of Kraków.
Kosiniak-Kamysz reaffirmed Poland’s continued support for Ukraine, which he said has been resisting Russia’s invasion for nearly four years in defence of its independence and citizens.
He also pointed to the international role of Polish troops, deployed on NATO’s eastern flank in Latvia and Romania, in peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Kosovo, and in operations in Turkey and Lebanon under NATO, EU and United Nations mandates.
“Everywhere our soldiers serve, we are defending not only values, but also the lives of the people in those regions,” he said.
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Source: PAP