Polish PM Donald Tusk urges German leadership in Europe's security
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At a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for Germany to lead Europe's security efforts, highlighting the importance of cooperation between the two nations.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk attend a press conference after German-Polish inter-governmental consultations in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP)
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk proclaimed Tuesday at a press conference with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that Germany should lead Europe's security.
Tusk, who also formerly served as the EU chief, said, "I cannot imagine that Germany would not be the leader for Europe's common security, including Poland's."
The meeting marked the first discussions between the Polish and German governments in six years.
"Poland, as one of the greatest victims of the Second World War, and Germany as the perpetrators of this destruction, this tragedy of World War II, today as free, democratic European nations, should jointly and effectively ensure that Europe is safe," said Tusk, who heads a pro-EU government.
In turn, Scholz agreed with Tusk, saying, "The security of Poland is also that of Germany," then adding, "This means precisely that we (Poland and Germany) want to assume a leading role in the Baltic region within the framework of NATO and in the protection of the eastern flank of the EU."
The two leaders talked about defense cooperation and addressing the issue of illegal immigration, which has become problematic on Poland's eastern border with Belarus.
It is important to note that Tusk came to power in Poland last year, succeeding a government led by the populist Law and Justice party, which was known for its strongly anti-German rhetoric.
NATO can shoot down missiles over Ukraine from Poland: German Politician
Earlier, in April, a senior researcher at the Munich Security Conference and former chief of staff at the German Ministry of Defense from 2019-2022, Nico Lange, suggested in an interview with Tagesschau that NATO allies should use anti-craft systems to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine from Poland's territory.
As Ukraine is currently struggling on the battlefield due to manpower shortages and hardware losses, Lange stressed, "From now on, partners should use the numerous 'Patriot' systems on our eastern borders to shoot down all Russian missiles and drones that they have within range over Ukraine," referencing mainly the alliance's air defense systems in eastern Poland.
"This would be fully covered under international law," Lange emphasized, using the example of Western assistance for "Israel" last week against the retaliatory Iranian strike.
Lange further argued that there is a need for an "unconventional solution", urging a "change in strategy" in Western support for Ukraine.
He also believes that simultaneously and in the long term, there should be an increase in the production of air defense systems in Europe.
A senior official of the Russian Zaporizhzhia regional administration, Vladimir Rogov, told Sputnik on April 19 that Poland was preparing its military personnel for entry into Ukraine, with some already arriving in the operation zone in small groups disguised as mercenaries.
