Poland preparing for threat of war with Russia, defence minister says
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that his country must urgently prepare for the threat of war with Russia, in an interview published on Monday.
Kosiniak-Kamysz was asked by the newspaper Super Express whether he considered Russia's military defeat of Ukraine and a subsequent invasion of Polish territory a possibility.
"I expect every scenario and take the worst ones most seriously. That is the task of a defence minister in the situation we find ourselves in today," the conservative politician replied.
Kosiniak-Kamysz, 42, said that he had "not just said these words out of the blue," but had weighed them up carefully.
Poland is a member of the European Union and the NATO military alliance.
He said Poland's Defence Ministry has already begun concrete steps to prepare for the threat, including examining gaps in armaments supplies for the military.
Although large-scale armaments procurements are very important, the individual equipment of each soldier must be taken just as seriously, he said.
He said that Poland intends to play a very important role in the common defence of the European Union.
