Poland plans to spend billions of euros on strengthening its eastern border, according to an announcement by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
According to news agency PAP, Tusk said he would invest 10 billion zloty ($2.5 billion) in security, mainly along the NATO member’s eastern border.
“We are launching a major project to build a secure border, including fortifications and reorganization of the terrain and environment, so that this border can no longer serve as a gateway for a potential enemy,” he said, adding that there the project is being worked on. called “Protective Shield East” has already started.
In addition to Lithuania and Ukraine, Poland also borders Belarus to the east and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the northeast.
Relations between Poland, an EU and NATO member state, and authoritarian Belarus, an ally of Moscow, have been tense for some time.
Tusk’s plans come after refugees have repeatedly tried to enter Polish territory from Belarus, in what many call systematic attempts by Minsk to destabilize Poland with masses of refugees fleeing the conflict.
Moreover, as Moscow continues its war against Ukraine, many Poles fear that their country could also be invaded.
