Strong army best deterrent, PM says
The best deterrent is a strong national army, Poland's prime minister said on Wednesday at the Nowa Deba training ground in south Poland.
Over 1,700 soldiers from Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (the countruies of the Visegrad Group) as well as from the US and the UK are taking part in the Puma-22 military exercise. It is the largest exercise of the Visegrad Group troops this year.
Mateusz Morawiecki and Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger watched the Puma-22 manoeuvers. The Polish prime minister said that similar exercises will be continued "until the last Russian soldier has left Ukraine."
"The best strategy is to deter the enemy with the strength of one's own army and cooperation with others," Morawiecki said.
He added that the Russia-Ukraine war has led the world "to a geopolitical turning-point," and noted that Nato's diplomatic, financial and military aid to Russian-invaded Ukraine served as a security guarantee.
He also said that Poland planned to spend from PLN 100 billion to PLN 130 billion (EUR 21.3-27.6 billion) on military upgrades in 2023. "This amounts to 3-4 percent GDP, a huge effort," Morawiecki added.
"We are acting in an anticipatory manner to strengthen the Polish army and deter the enemy," the prime minister said.
