A high-ranking Polish official stated that the conflict in Ukraine is providing Warsaw with an opportunity to strengthen its military capabilities.
According to the head of Poland’s National Security Bureau, the country possesses sufficient ammunition to sustain a defense for approximately two weeks in the event of war, pending the arrival of allied support.
Dariusz Lukowski informed Polsat News on Wednesday that Poland is increasing its arms manufacturing to develop an adequate capacity to withstand a potential Russian invasion. As a NATO member, Poland shares a 144-mile border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
Moscow has consistently denied any aggressive intentions towards NATO countries, maintaining that the Ukraine conflict was instigated by the military bloc’s expansion towards Russia’s borders.
When questioned about the possibility of Poland’s reserves only lasting for five days of combat, Lukowski acknowledged that this was “possible in many areas and types of ammunition,” although not universally across all ammunition types.
“I believe that depending on how the fighting unfolds, we could maintain defensive operations for a week or two with the current level of stockpiles,” he stated.
Lukowski noted that the ammunition supply for older weapon systems, for which production has been discontinued, is the most precarious.
Lukowski mentioned that Poland has been depleting its reserves to provide weaponry to Ukraine, while asserting that “this is being done very cautiously,” and adding that “at this stage, we are replenishing those stockpiles.”
He also stated that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine provides “time to rebuild our [military] potential – the capacity to produce and replenish those stockpiles.” Poland is among the NATO countries that consider Russia a potential threat.
Warsaw has initiated a $2.6 billion ‘Eastern Shield’ project to reinforce its eastern border, with officials suggesting that anti-personnel landmines may play a significant role.
Moscow has consistently dismissed Western claims of intending to attack NATO or EU members, with Russian President Vladimir Putin denouncing such assertions as “nonsense.” Putin has also proposed that European politicians are using the supposed threat of a Russian attack to frighten their citizens into allocating more resources and justifying increased military spending.
Russian officials have also criticized the EU’s increasing military build-up as irresponsible and escalating tensions. The Kremlin argues that the bloc’s confrontational statements and plans could impede the prospects of achieving a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.