Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the frontier at Ozierany Małe on Sunday, signalling EU backing for Poland’s border security and for wider European defence investment.
The joint appearance coincided with the 45th anniversary of Poland’s Solidarity accords, a date Mr Tusk invoked to underline the political symbolism of the site.
Standing beside a refurbished section of the barrier, Mr Tusk said the border “is as significant today” as the 1980 breakthrough that helped end communist rule. He argued that recent phases of the war in Ukraine show that concessions to Russia do not deliver security, and called for sustained support from NATO allies, the EU and the United States. The press point proceeded despite a security alert shortly beforehand; Polish services had advised moving the event after reports of Belarusian soldiers near the location. Mr Tusk said there would be “zero concessions”.
Ms von der Leyen used the visit to highlight EU instruments intended to scale up defence production and joint procurement. She said member states had fully subscribed the €150 billion SAFE loans facility, with 19 countries applying and Poland among those set to draw on the scheme. The Commission chief also indicated that SAFE can be used to support Ukraine’s defence industrial base.
SAFE sits within a broader European effort to mobilise up to €800 billion in defence-related spending by the end of the decade under the Commission’s Readiness 2030 agenda (originally branded “ReArm Europe”). That package combines EU-backed loans with national outlays and other financing channels to increase production capacity in critical capabilities such as air and missile defence, artillery, drones and cyber. Analysts describe the €800 billion headline as an ambition for combined public and private mobilisation rather than a standalone EU budget line.
Border infrastructure featured prominently in Sunday’s programme. Poland has installed a 5.5-metre steel fence along 186 km of the Belarus frontier and deployed an electronic barrier across more than 200 km, with additional monitoring along the Bug river. Officials briefed the visitors on surveillance systems and on elements of Poland’s “East Shield”, which Warsaw has presented as part of Europe’s collective deterrence posture.
Ms von der Leyen reiterated that safeguarding the EU’s external borders is a shared responsibility and framed Poland as a frontline state exposed to hybrid pressure from Belarus and Russia. She also repeated her call for sustained deterrence against Moscow; in recent remarks on the tour of eastern member states she argued that President Vladimir Putin could only be contained by credible military capability.
The visit combined commemoration with policy messaging. For Warsaw, the event supported domestic plans to reinforce the eastern frontier and to anchor those costs in a European framework. For Brussels, it provided a platform to promote the new procurement mechanisms and to indicate that funds can flow both to member-state orders and to Ukraine’s defence production, depending on national plans. The Commission and several capitals have pressed industry to expand output and shorten delivery times amid high demand generated by the war.
Mr Tusk said Poland and its partners should remain “resolute”, linking the Solidarity anniversary to present-day coalition-building in support of Ukraine. The government in Warsaw has asked for greater EU co-financing of border fortifications and has raised defence spending sharply; the SAFE instrument, by offering long-maturity loans on favourable terms for joint procurement, is intended to reduce costs and improve interoperability across the EU. Nineteen governments have now lodged applications under SAFE, meeting the facility’s total envelope.
Sunday’s engagement followed a series of briefings with Poland’s border guard and armed forces in Podlaskie province. Organisers briefly considered relocating the press conference after the reported presence of Belarusian soldiers near the site, but proceeded at Ozierany Małe. The episode underscored the sensitivity of the area, where Poland has tightened access, reinforced physical barriers and increased patrols since 2021.
The Commission is expected to continue promoting joint procurement and industrial scaling across the autumn, with member states advancing national plans under Readiness 2030. In parallel, Warsaw is progressing its East Shield programme and seeking EU co-funding where eligible. Both tracks are framed by the same objective: to expand production, improve supply chains and enhance the credibility of Europe’s deterrence while supporting Ukraine’s capacity to sustain its defence.
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