Poland will spend $2.55 billion to reinforce its eastern border to strengthen defenses against what it sees as threats from Belarus and Russia.
“We have decided to invest 10 billion zloty ($2.55 billion) in our security and above all to secure the eastern border,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on May 18 in a statement. news conference.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw on April 23. Image: Reuters
“We are starting a major project to build a more secure border, including a system of fortifications, as well as making landscape and environmental decisions to make the border impervious to enemies.” potential to overcome,” he added.
Poland’s border with Belarus has become a flashpoint since migrants began flocking to the country in 2021. Minsk, a close ally of Moscow, opened travel agencies in the Middle East at the time. providing a new unofficial route into Europe, a move the European Union (EU) said was intended to provoke a crisis.
Since Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in 2022, relations have become even more tense as Poland increased defense spending and accused Belarus and Russia of trying to destabilize the country. .
The Polish government previously built a fence on the border with Belarus more than 180 km long and 5.5 meters high to prevent illegal migration.
Prime Minister Tusk announced plans to strengthen the eastern border earlier this month but did not give details. He also said he would discuss with the European Investment Bank on May 20 about borrowing more than 127 million USD to develop satellite systems in the European Sky Shield Initiative.
The above initiative is a joint air defense plan established by Germany in 2022 to strengthen air defense in the region. Mr. Tusk compared it to Israel’s Iron Dome system.