Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the initiative of The "Eastern Shield" country, aimed at strengthening the defense lines on its borders with Belarus and Russia, is developing in full force, reported the Polish news agency PAP, quoted by BTA.
Tusk, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Vladislav Koshinyak-Kamish, attended a series of military exercises that demonstrated the components of the “Shield East” at the Ozisz test site in northern Poland.
„I am glad to see how the initiative “Eastern Shield“ is taking shape”, Tusk said, adding that the project is a joint venture with the participation of Poland, the Baltic states and Finland.
He also confirmed that the British are currently cooperating with Poland on the project and that the Americans are also ready to join.
At the same time, Tusk announced that he will soon go to Brussels to discuss with EU representatives the potential co-financing of the project.
According to the plan, the construction of the fortification elements of the “Eastern Shield” it was supposed to start in 2025, but as Kosiniak-Kamish said, activities have been accelerated to start this year.
At the end of May, Poland allocated 10 billion zlotys (about 2.33 billion euros) to the multi-year defense and deterrence plan “Eastern Shield” for the period 2024-2028 to secure its northeastern border with suitable fortifications.