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Poland, Sweden begin two-way talks ahead of submarine deal

29.06.2026 11:30
Poland and Sweden have begun their first ever intergovernmental talks, with leaders meeting in the Polish port city of Gdynia on Monday ahead of the signing of a deal for new submarines for the Polish navy.
Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk (centre), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski (second right) and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (right) attend a welcoming ceremony at the Naval Academy in Gdynia, ahead of Polish-Swedish government talks on Monday.
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk (centre), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski (second right) and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (right) attend a welcoming ceremony at the Naval Academy in Gdynia, ahead of Polish-Swedish government talks on Monday.Photo: PAP/Marcin Gadomski

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson were due to oversee the signing of contracts for three A26-class submarines, built by Sweden's Saab Kockums, under Poland's Orka submarine programme.

The agreements were expected to be signed later on Monday aboard the Polish frigate ORP General Tadeusz Kościuszko.

The vessels—known in Sweden as the Blekinge class, where similar submarines are being built for the Swedish navy—use diesel-electric propulsion with air-independent power, letting them stay submerged for days at a time without surfacing to recharge their batteries.

They will replace Poland's ageing ORP Orzeł, currently its only submarine in active service.

The first new vessel is due to be delivered in 2030, with the other two following in later years.

The programme has previously been estimated to cost around PLN 20 billion (EUR 4.66 billion)

The contract is expected to cover not only the construction and delivery of the submarines but also training, logistics and the infrastructure needed to bring them into service, as well as industrial cooperation between the two countries.

Poland's Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said this would include Sweden buying a Polish-built rescue ship, the Ratownik, and domestic defence firms taking part in the Orka programme.

Sweden was chosen as Poland's partner for the submarine procurement effort in November.

Monday's talks also cover European security, cooperation within NATO and the EU, the situation in the Baltic Sea and continued support for Ukraine, according to officials.

Sweden said it would announce new details on bilateral security and defence cooperation in the Baltic.

The talks are taking place under a renewed strategic partnership signed by the two countries in Harpsund, Sweden, in November 2024, replacing an earlier agreement from 2011.

The update followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Sweden's accession to NATO, and focuses on integrated defence of the Baltic Sea, protecting critical infrastructure and countering Russian hybrid threats.

(ał/gs)

Source: PAP