Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said Poland's security measures on its Eastern border are an investment in peace, with Europe praising these moves and ready to provide financial support. The politician's statement came during a Saturday visit to the East Shield, Poland's defensive fortifications along its borders with Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. "Everything we are doing here is meant to deter and discourage any potential aggressor, which is why this is truly an investment in peace," Tusk said. "We will spend billions of zlotys on this, but right now all of Europe is watching with great satisfaction and will support these investments and our actions if needed." Speaking of the Baltic Sea, to which Russia has access via its coast, Tusk gave his assurance that the Baltic states will cooperate with Warsaw to ensure the Shield East safeguards not only Poland's borders with Russia and Belarus, but also those of all other NATO members sharing borders with the two. Poland's East Shield, worth billions of euros, was announced in May amid hybrid attacks from Belarus and Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have responded to similar threats by agreeing to build the Baltic Defense Line, with plans disclosed in January. The two projects will be merged into a single, unified fortification complex. The program includes the construction of barriers and fences along the border, equipped with military facilities. The defense line will be capable, among other things, of anti-surprise-attack capabilities through airspace monitoring systems and will feature infrastructure for anti-drone systems as well as advanced surveillance systems, satellite monitoring, and underground bunkers. The East Shield is set to be completed by 2028.
