Head of the Polish Ministry of Defence: You Can’t Protect Poland from War for Free

During the 10th European Congress of Local Governments in Mikołajki, a conversation took place with Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. The meeting was hosted by Defence24 President Piotr Małecki. Among other topics, the discussion touched on suspending the conclusion of an agreement between Ukraine and the United States. The head of the Ministry of National Defense was directly asked whether the decision to break off talks on the American-Ukrainian line might affect our security. „First of all, let’s do our own thing. We have a strategy. The most important thing for us is building strong security for the Polish state. Regardless of emotions,” noted the Vice Prime Minister.  

„I encourage a toned-down approach, to calm down, to not react emotionally in any way, because politics today is different from what it was a few months, or even a few years, ago. In the past, one statement would last longer, one position could endure for many weeks, months, or even years. Today, it changes very quickly,” he assessed. He assured that he is in favor of returning to American-Ukrainian talks as soon as possible. „They are needed. There is no calm or peace, and there is no path to peace in Ukraine without the engagement of the United States,” the defence minister stressed.

He noted that Europe must do much more and expressed his belief that „it has woken up in many areas.” „But this is a multi-stage, multi-year process. For many years, it was the United States that, today, spends twice as much as Europe and Canada combined on security,” he pointed out.

„I understand that a certain kind of frustration has emerged, and even a cup of bitterness has been spilled. They (the Americans – ed. note) have felt it in a tangible way and today they say that it is impossible to construct a security policy in Europe without greater engagement (of Europe – ed. note),” he assessed. He added that Poland began engaging much earlier. „We are gradually increasing spending. The growth we have in 2025 is 60 percent more than in 2023 and 2.5 times more than in 2022,” Kosiniak-Kamysz enumerated. „And it’s not as if this is the finale, that we have everything fully financed in every area. There are many things that we will finance in the future and we need to find funding for them,” he assured.

In his opinion, maintaining the presence of American troops in Europe is crucial for our security. „The decision that – I hope – the European Union will make not to include expenditures on transformation, but also on maintaining operational capability, in the deficits, would be a key issue. It opens up far-reaching choices. I support taking on obligations to protect us from war. You can’t do that for free,” he said.  

He stressed that „if someone believes that peace, strength, and freedom do not require spending, then they are dangerously mistaken.” „This cannot be achieved with pretty words or slogans about our values, or about our common European values. What are the common European values today? What common values do we share today? Shouldn’t the primary value be the defence of Europe, the defence of our history, traditions, and our territory?” he noted.

When asked whether it would be possible to persuade countries like Spain or Portugal to increase their defense spending, he indicated that it must succeed. „Let’s not be surprised that the Americans say that 2 percent is too little, because even that 2 percent you agreed upon 10 years ago has not been met for 10 years. And you haven’t had a year in which you met it. So it must be met. It is simply absolutely necessary if Europe wants to be a serious, relevant continent,” he conveyed.

He also pointed out that Europe has more people and economic strength than the USA, yet it does not convert that economic power into what today is the guarantor of development: security. „I think we’ve become too comfortable in prosperity. We no longer have the drive that pushes us forward to success. I believe that our generation has reached the pinnacle of development and comfort. We are comfortable. When we are comfortable, it means that we are weaker. And when we are weaker, soon our children and grandchildren may have to scavenge among the ruins,” he assessed.

We have reached a moment when the openness of Western Europe has led to a crisis in Western Europe. And this is not about a lack of humanitarianism in my words. But I expect that if someone today wants to come to Europe, they should also agree with what is important in Europe. That is why strict asylum laws, rejecting applications, and sending people back are necessary. If bandits show up, let's send them back. There will be no tolerance for such behavior. I say this very clearly and unambiguously. I am in contact with Minister Siemoniak, who oversees the Police and other services. Zero tolerance for bandit-like behavior.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy PM, Head of the Polish Ministry of Defence

Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Ministry of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, was also asked about society’s readiness to face a potential crisis. „What constitutes national defence? It consists of three elements — a strong society, a strong army, and a strong alliance.  The first point, and the most important thing we have in this term, is how we manage these three elements. That is simply the key to Poland’s success later on, regardless of various other very important issues,” he enumerated.

„A strong society is truly number one in this triad. Why? The example of Ukraine illustrates it well. Ukraine would not have received Western assistance if it weren’t for the strength of its society. It is the people, civilians, all state institutions, all public institutions, volunteers, and people of goodwill who, in the first days of the war, defended the possibility of continued resistance. The key is that states defend themselves with the strength of their citizens and all state structures,” he emphasized.

He noted that to build social strength, there must be an awareness that the threat is real, that danger is close at hand.  „The threat is not just that tanks will line Poland’s border; the threat is the lies that will spread, often on the Internet,” he added.

„We are working so that this year a civil defense handbook reaches every household, to help people prepare for crisis situations. Because a crisis situation can be a flood, various disasters, but war is a crisis situation as well. We need to prepare for all of these. That is why we have introduced military education, activities in which soldiers come to schools and do not talk about conventions or legal provisions, but rather about how to behave and what to do,” he said.

He also noted that the uniform is something that unites us in Poland today. „The uniform of a soldier of the Polish Army must not be lost. We may have different views, but the love for the Polish Army, for the soldier of the Polish Army, and the gratitude for those who serve is something that unites us in Poland today. That must be cared for, and we must continue to care for it,” he expressed with hope. 

According to Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, hunters also play a huge role in protecting the population. „I have signed an agreement with the hunting community, with Polish hunters, so that they engage in security. These are people who today have a license to carry weapons in Poland and possess excellent knowledge of the terrain,” he assessed.

„In Scandinavia, hunters constitute the backbone of common defense. And in Poland, there is a debate about how this is, as if it is un-European. The fact that Scandinavians, the Swedes and Finns, have three times as many hunters as we do in Poland, does that make France, with 1.2 million hunters, un-European?” he said. 

Let's not turn Poland into an experimental zone for Europe, where every time someone advocates banning hunting, banning the sport, or restricting forest economy practices altogether. I am for environmental protection, but for smart environmental protection—not subordinating everything and ignoring the consequences that follow.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy PM, Head of the Polish Ministry of Defence

He also gave the example of border defence, stating that there must be room for border protection. „Soldiers or any services are not bandits who cut down forests; if they sometimes cut a tree, it is to protect other trees,” he assured.

„If those from the East come here, they will really not care about any wildlife, any protection rules, any human rights or anyone’s rights; they will just destroy everything,” Kosiniak-Kamysz interjected.

He also noted that local authorities face problems due to a lack of preparation in crisis management. „I am in favor of a law requiring that, within the first three months, every new mayor or city president undergo mandatory crisis management training, because decision-making is a critical skill. Additionally, we will involve artificial intelligence,” he said. He expressed his belief that artificial intelligence „will change our world.” „This is a challenge for protection. This is a challenge for the army,” he added. 

During the conversation with Defence24 President Piotr Małecki, the Deputy Prime Minister was also asked about the Prime Minister’s plans to implement a rule that 50 percent of defense spending be allocated to Polish industry. „Unfortunately, we do not yet have that kind of leverage, and there is still a lot of work for the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) to achieve greater capabilities,” he assessed.

He also thanked Defence24 for „Defence24 Days,” for those days in May when we discuss strategic security issues and, in this regard, armaments—which will be crucial this year. „This is in line with our strategy to build the potential of defense companies, as well as companies that produce dual-use services and products. It is an absolute priority for this year.”

In his opinion, Polish trademarks could be drones. „The Ukrainians managed it very quickly. If there is something we can learn from the one terrible thing that is war, it is how to behave during such a conflict. That is, experience in combat medicine, management, strategy, decision-making, and in the implementation of artificial intelligence. But also, production capabilities that prove useful. Drones, which have revolutionized warfare in Ukraine, will be present, along with integration with artificial intelligence and all the effectors available in Poland. It must be a connected system for it to work,” he said. 

„What is our problem in Poland? We have outstanding research, superb scientists, yet we are not able to translate that into the practical language needed. There is no implementation, no translation. This is our long-standing problem, regardless of who is in power. We have this problem,” he assessed.    

„How long have we worked on the Borsuk project? 12 years. How long have we worked on the Kleszcz project? Over 10 years. These are periods during which eras change. Today, defense systems will transform within 10 years. We will not manage if we keep waiting forever,” added the Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Ministry of National Defence.