Situation at the eastern border of the EU

During their meeting, the leaders discussed the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border of the EU. The Italian Prime Minister was interested in the situation on the eastern flank of NATO. He also informed me about his talks with leaders, which bore significance for the eastern flank of the Alliance – emphasised the head of the Polish government.

Since June 2021, we have been dealing with hybrid attacks on the Polish-Belarusian border of the EU, inspired by the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. It is an organised action, controlled and supervised by the Belarusian services. It is also the greatest attempt to destabilise the whole European Union in the last 30 years.

The head of the Polish government emphasised that next week’s summit of the European Council will  be the next important stop in his itinerary. - It will be an important summit, at which we will discuss matters related to the Eastern Partnership. Alas, it is in rather poor condition due to the events taking place in Belarus, but also as a result of the pressure exerted on Ukraine and Moldovia. A stable and good development of our neighbours is important to us. And it is one of the basic reasons why the agenda of the European Council will be definitely dominated by the aggressive policy of Russia. I will do my best to ensure that this topic will not only be the main, prevailing topic discussed by the European Council, but also that we will take specific action – he added.

Increased military presence of Russia around Ukraine

The meeting in Rome was also an opportunity to discuss the current situation in Ukraine. The head of the Polish government observed that the situation of our eastern neighbour is very uncertain. We can notice that Russian military presence around Ukraine is being increased. – We know the risks arising from this situation – Prime Minister added.

- The very fact that we are asking if the Kremlin is considering a scenario that involves an invasion of Ukraine raises great concerns. It raises concerns here in Rome and in other capitals that I have recently visited – he informed.

After the meeting with the Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister Morawiecki also mentioned the talks between the presidents of the US and Russia: - the conversation included some disturbing elements. It is not Russia’s role to decide what kind of defense mechanisms NATO is entitled to activate on its eastern flank. 

The energy system as one of the topics of the talks between the heads of government

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki informed that price manipulations and the ETS system were another topic discussed at the meeting– I suggested and shall suggest next week in Brussels that entities speculating on their CO2 emission allowances be not allowed to participate in the ETS system, as it artificially pushes up prices of energy, which affects particular sectors of the economy – said Prime Minister.

The government has recently presented an anti-inflation package, in which it proposed that VAT, excise as well as the emission and trade fee be reduced in order to mitigate the consequences of high energy prices, imported from abroad. – I am glad that we were able to unify our positions in many areas. We must seek allies in the international arena, and we are looking for them in the whole Europe –the head of the Polish government emphasised.

So far, he has met with leaders of such countries as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy. In recent days, he has also spoken on the phone with the Prime Minister of Norway. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has also spoken to the Prime Minister of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government about such issues as migrants used by the Belarusian regime. The diplomatic actions taken by the Polish government so far have already achieved success – the number of migrants arriving in Belarus is already much lower. The head of the Polish government has also recently met with Avril Haines, head of the US National Intelligence Service. They agreed that close cooperation with regard to the security on the easter flank of NATO is necessary.