Poland’s president says Russia will remain threat to Europe

Speaking at a joint news conference in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius on Sunday with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nawrocki said the region’s long-held warnings about Russia had been proven right.

“Policies backing a ‘reset’ with the Russian Federation are disappearing, but one thing remains unchanged: whether it’s Tsarist Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or Vladimir Putin’s Russia, our countries, now independent, still face the same threat from the Russian Federation,” he said.

“The countries of central and eastern Europe were not wrong in their opinions about the Russian threat, even at a time when western Europe was still focused on climate policy or letting in illegal immigrants," he added, TVP World reported.

The three leaders met to mark the anniversary of the 1863 January Uprising against Russian rule, an unsuccessful revolt aimed at restoring the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was suppressed by Tsarist forces a year later.

Nawrocki said the uprising remained symbolically important, describing it as a moral victory that preserved national identity and sent a message that “surrender is not an option.”

He said the lesson remains relevant today “in a world in which imperial aggression is once again reviving.”

He also highlighted growing regional defense cooperation, praising Lithuania’s planned military spending, forecast to reach 5.4% of gross domestic product, above Poland’s own level.

“Poland allocates nearly 5% of its GDP to the development of the Polish armed forces. We have the most powerful army in the region, with over 200,000 Polish soldiers. Therefore, I am full of praise for Lithuania,” he said.

Nawrocki added that Polish troops will be able to train at a new Lithuanian military area near the Suwalki Gap, the narrow corridor between Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and Belarus, widely seen as a potential flashpoint in any future conflict.