Tusk says Poland’s eastern border more secure than ever

Poland is “safer than ever before” on its eastern border, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday.

The “Eastern Shield” project, intended to strengthen Poland’s eastern border with Russia and Belarus, is playing a key role, Tusk said.

Tank barriers and concrete obstacles are part of the scheme, as well as surveillance and anti-drone systems. Warsaw is also working to increase its air defence capabilities, Tusk said, according to the country’s PAP news agency.

The European Union is contributing to the project’s financing through its Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme, a financing instrument created in 2025 to help EU countries strengthen their defence capabilities through joint procurement.

Engineers from the German military, the Bundeswehr, are also supporting the defence project.

Tusk: ‘We are only at the beginning’

“The construction of the Eastern Shield will never be completed because a very important component is the constant modernization of air defence,” Tusk said. “We are only at the beginning of this journey.”

Last year, several drones entered Polish airspace. The Polish government has been pressing for a significant strengthening of NATO’s eastern flank since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.