Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz co-chaired the 17th round of Polish-German intergovernmental consultations in Berlin on Monday.
These meetings bring together the heads of government and key ministers from both sides for joint discussions, this time held at the chancellery in Berlin with military honours for Tusk.
After the talks, Merz said Germany stood “unwaveringly” at Poland’s side.
He added that Berlin needed “a strong Poland as an equal partner” at a time when Europeans faced what he called “new times” and a “difficult world,” referring in particular to the threat posed by Russia’s open aggression and revisionist policy.
The two leaders announced a new joint declaration that will form the basis of cooperation in the coming months and years.
Merz said it focuses on three main priorities: security and defence, connectivity and infrastructure, as well as remembrance and commemoration.
On infrastructure, the German chancellor said Warsaw and Berlin would continue the modernisation of cross-border railway lines. He added that by the end of 2025 road infrastructure at the Frankfurt an der Oder border crossing would be upgraded.
Transport ministers from both countries are to prepare a joint plan to modernise bridges, motorways and rail links and to expand cross-border transport and other connections.
Berlin memorial to Polish WWII victims
The talks also covered a long-discussed memorial in Berlin to Polish victims of World War II and Nazi occupation between 1939 and 1945.
Merz said Germany could not avoid its past and had to keep even painful memories alive.
He announced that work on a permanent monument to Polish citizens who were victims of the war and Nazi rule would move ahead, with tenders on the German side expected to begin soon.
Tusk thanked the chancellor for his engagement on the project.
Support for Ukraine
Ukraine dominated the security discussions.
Tusk said the first topic in his one-to-one meeting with Merz was the war and international support for Kyiv. He described it as a “fortunate coincidence” that the talks opened with a video call involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Union leaders.
Merz said a large part of his conversation with Tusk focused on Ukraine and declared that Poland and Germany stood “shoulder to shoulder.” He stressed the need to maintain unity within the transatlantic community and warned against attempts to drive a wedge between the two neighbours.
He also said no decisions should be taken without the participation of Ukraine and Poland, and pointed to the need to increase pressure on Russia, including by using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.
Tusk underlined the importance of cooperation with Germany on securing Poland’s eastern border, which is also the external frontier of the European Union and NATO.
He said Warsaw was ready to discuss specific projects in road, rail and energy infrastructure, including new oil pipelines, additional road links and new bridges over the Oder river.
According to the Polish prime minister, these projects are vital for NATO’s ability to respond to any possible Russian aggression against member states on the alliance’s eastern flank.
He said "much more time, work and money" had to be invested in connections between Poland and Germany for this purpose.
Merz recalled that after Russian missiles violated Polish airspace in September, the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, reinforced its presence in Poland.
Energy independence from Russia
The two leaders also backed complete energy independence from Russia. Tusk said the joint declaration stated that Poland and Germany, and Europe as a whole, needed to free themselves entirely from imports of Russian energy resources.
Asked whether Poland felt excluded from talks on how to end the war in Ukraine, Tusk replied that European leaders saw the need for Poland’s presence in the most important formats dealing with peace efforts.
He added that “not everyone in Washington and certainly nobody in Moscow” wanted Poland to be present “always and everywhere,” which he said he viewed as a compliment to Poland and to himself.
The previous round of intergovernmental consultations took place in Warsaw in 2024, after a six-year break.
That meeting produced a Polish-German Action Plan in which both governments pledged an intensive dialogue on support measures for surviving Polish victims of German aggression and occupation, as well as on issues of remembrance and security.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP