On June 15-16, Mariusz Blaszczak, Deputy Prime Minister, visited Brussels, where he attended a meeting of NATO defence ministers.

On the first day, the head of the Ministry of Defence participated, among other things, in a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, as well as talks of defence ministers working together to develop and strengthen the defence industry. At the meeting, which precedes the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, a package of decisions which are being prepared for approval by the heads of state and government were discussed. Of particular importance for Poland were matters concerning deterrence and defence on the eastern flank.

- The regional plans will be discussed in detail tomorrow during a debate to review the goal up until the NATO summit in Vilnius, which will take place in one month's time. We are in good spirits. We are active when it comes to agreeing plans. We are primarily focused on the centre plan, which concerns Poland and the eastern flank of NATO.

- noted Deputy Prime Minister.

In Brussels, Deputy Prime Minister also attended a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which coordinates support to Ukraine. The formula for this meeting was initiated by the US in March 2022 at the US Air Force Base in Ramstein, in response to the Russian Federation's assault on Ukraine. Poland remains one of the most active donor countries, both in terms of assistance to the population and the supply of military equipment - estimated to be worth more than €2.5 billion.

During the ministerial session, an addendum to the memorandum on the Multinational Ammunition Warehousing Initiative (MAWI) was signed including four more countries in the programme: Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg. The aim of MAWI is to provide the armed forces of Allied countries with seamless access to ammunition stocks, through the establishment of a network of warehouses. It is crucial for securing the activities of troops during operations. Poland has been a participant of this programme since February this year.

- Today, our agreement within NATO for the joint storage of ammunition was extended. Four more countries are joining this understanding. Poland is participating in the agreement as well. The idea is to pool forces and resources in order to benefit even more intensively from the synergy effect between Allied states. As part of our activities we are also focused on developing the production of munitions in Poland

- emphasised the head of the Ministry of Defence.

- I wish to emphasise that during behind-the-scenes talks I hear words of appreciation for our activity when it comes to strengthening the Polish Armed Forces - equipping them with modern weapons. I am open to working with our Allies to ensure that this process goes swiftly. I can put it this way: our Allies envy us the Homeland Defence Act. I share with them those stipulations that are contained therein

- said Deputy Prime Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister also attended a meeting with representatives of the transatlantic defence industry, to which the European Union, Sweden and Ukraine were also invited. It was an opportunity for consultations between defence ministers and arms manufacturers on strengthening the supply chain, ensuring their security and discussing possible barriers to industrial cooperation.

- We are in contact with companies from the United States, Norway and Germany. We have joint ventures underway. One of them is the maintenance and service centre for Leopard tanks at Bumar Łabędy. We are defining the final agreement between the Polish arms industry and the German industry. We hope that this centre will begin its operations in the next few days. This is undoubtedly the need. And we are looking at what will happen in the long term - this is undoubtedly an opportunity for the Polish arms industry

- said the head of the Ministry of Defence.

The head of the Ministry of Defence also referred to the current security situation in the region.

- We condemn all those actions taken by Russia that end in war crimes. The blowing up of the dam on the Dnieper is undoubtedly such an action. This is a real threat to thousands of people. It is also an ecological threat. We condemn actions of this nature. We also undoubtedly view these actions as an attempt to halt the Ukrainian counter-offensive or to slow it down. (...) We support Ukraine so that it does not come to pass that, having conquered Ukraine, Russia would go further. Because there is hardly any doubt that these are Russia's intentions, these are Putin's intentions

- the head of the Ministry of Defence pointed out.

During his visit to Brussels, Deputy Prime Minister also discussed current Polish-Norwegian military cooperation with the Norwegian Defence Minister, as well as support for Ukraine, including the training of Ukrainian soldiers.

On Friday June 16, as part of the second day of the meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, the head of the Ministry of Defence attended a meeting of the North Atlantic Council on deterrence and defence at the Alliance's Headquarters.

GALLERY-->> Visit of the head of the Ministry of Defence to NATO Headquarters