On 28 January 2026, the minister of national defence has met in Warsaw with the members of the military diplomatic corps accredited in Poland. The meeting was focused on an overview of the most important events of the previous year, impacting the increase of international defensive capabilities in the area of international security, as well as planning paths forward and priorities for mutual cooperation. It was an opportunity to thank the attachés for their work, developing international cooperation and bolstering the support for defence within NATO and the EU.

We are a country that loves peace. We are a country that wants peace. Peace needs strength to defend itself. It is a beautiful thing, but it does not have the ability to defend itself. We cannot protect ourselves with just this word, this strategy, if we do not have sufficient strength. That is why our defence budget for this year is over 200 bln PLN. It is one of the largest budgets in nominal terms among the NATO countries and reaches almost 5% of GDP. (…). Why does Poland spend so much on armaments? Why do we invest so much in our defence? We do not plan on attacking anyone. We have plans to build the strength and security of the eastern flank of NATO, the European Union, Poland and our allies. We want to be the strongest of the strong – said the deputy prime minister W. Kosiniak-Kamysz.

In his speech the minister of national defence noted the value that building alliances, including the transatlantic alliance, has.

We will be building the strength of our alliances in the coming years, and in the year 2026. The role of Poland is to bolster the transatlantic ties. There is no NATO without the United States. There is no strength and power of the United States without their participation in the North Atlantic Alliance. It is all connected. NATO arose from transatlantic relations, and must be based on them. (…) Our line of transatlantic understanding is existentially important to Poland, Europe and the United States. I am unshakeably convinced that we are always treated seriously and respectfully – among the commanders, veterans of shared fight in Afghanistan, Iraq, wherever we were standing arm in arm, as allies, with our friends from the United States, France, Great Britain and other NATO countries, wherever we defend not just values but really – the lives of citizens of those regions where we go as Polish military contingents, UN missions, NATO missions, European Union missions. This is the respect we expect for our veterans – stressed the minister.

Poland does not limit itself to our influence that comes from the friendship with all the European Union countries, the shared assistance to Ukraine delivered by NATO and the EU, but our actions and cooperation reach other parts of the world as well. South Korea is, and will be in the coming years, an important partner when it comes to modernization and technological progress. I am thankful for all the good agreements, especially those signed in the previous year, for the Polonization of the K2 tank, the assembly of which is due to begin in the Łabędy Steelworks in Gliwice, or acquiring the opportunity to manufacture in Poland the missiles for the Chunmoo launcher. This is a visible signal not just of cooperation of defence industries, but also moving manufacturing capabilities to Poland and Europe, of independence in this regard – noted the minister.
I wish a good year to all those who take care of building security. I believe that the strength of our alliances will be greater than any evil and neo-imperial designs, and those who demolish peace, who sacrifice hundreds of thousands, if not millions of their own citizens, will eventually lose. There will be a reckoning, perhaps first and foremost from their people. We will always watch over building strength, security and peace. I want to thank all military representatives accredited in Poland for their mission, and their relations. I wish you all a good and safe year – noted the deputy prime minister W. Kosiniak-Kamysz at the end.