Fenders of the East: Fortress Poland’s Line of Defense

“We know very well that the security of Poland does not start from its borders, but from the borders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Therefore, we are very happy to join the Alliance [NATO] Finland has joined, as well as Sweden, hopefully soon [prisijungs]because from a military point of view it gives us a huge advantage both in terms of deterrence and defense of the Baltic States,” he said.

He assessed the relations between the Baltic countries and Poland as very good, at least from Warsaw’s point of view. The expert emphasized that the Baltic countries usually refrain from public criticism of the Polish government, even when they see problems related to the principles of the rule of law, as well as Poland’s conflict with Brussels and Germany.

“Lithuania is a particularly good example, because it maintains important security relations with Germany, but it is Poland that is close to them and other Baltic states,” said M. Baranowskis.

According to M. Baranowski, a new government formed by the opposition forces that won the elections in Poland, which would not be against Germany and the European Union, would be an active and constructive voice in the bloc and would seek to restore relations with Berlin, would neutralize part of the tension that the Baltic countries felt towards Warsaw.

In general, the Baltic countries and Poland look at everything similarly, and the only difference, according to the expert, is that the Baltic countries are in the euro zone, and Poland is not.

When asked whether the EU is sufficiently using the opportunities to play a more important role in global affairs, especially in the policy of supporting Ukraine, M. Baranowski noted that Europe already provides Ukraine with greater fiscal and economic support than the United States.

“Transatlantic unity is very important, and we very much need US military aid to Ukraine, as well as future aid.” [jos] in the field of reconstruction, but we must know that Europe is doing more in the area of ​​economic aid. Europe is also doing more in the field of military aid, and it is catching up with the US,” the expert said.

He emphasized that Europe must also do at least as much, if not more, than the United States.

“Because the Americans understand that Ukraine is our gate, not theirs. Yes, it can be a transatlantic project, but it cannot be one where Europe does not do enough,” explained M. Baranowski.

According to him, if a Republican administration comes to power in the US, possibly led by former President Donald Trump, Washington will certainly expect much more from Brussels. In addition, Mr. Baranowski said, it is possible that then the US will want to focus more on the Middle East, especially if the war continues there, and the Indo-Pacific region as it competes with China there.

“In that case, EU member states will have to fill the gaps themselves,” he said.

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