Poland is aggressively working to make its military the strongest in Europe. The country is increasing its military strength, acquiring the latest weapon systems, and developing a significant arms industry, albeit at a high cost.
Pentagon confirmed that Poland will acquire F-35 stealth fighters, Patriot missile systems, and Abrams tanks in a $2 billion deal as part of a major modernization drive. Interestingly, this comes at a time when China is holding drills with Belarus in the border region, and Russia is hosting the Indian PM for a bilateral meeting.
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, Poland has been most concerned that it could be the next target. Polish-Russian relations have traditionally been complex. They are somewhat shaped by their geostrategic location and complicated shared history. This, combined with ongoing political and economic disputes, creates a situation where hopes for improvement are slim.
Poland has been most affected by the Ukraine war. It has taken a strong pro-Ukraine stand. Poland is the leading state providing support to Ukraine with significant arms support, including drones. It allowed the largest number of Ukrainians as refugees. Poland now considers itself the frontline NATO state facing the resurgent Putin-led Russia.
Poland and Russia, neighbors for 1,000 years, share some painful history. They once competed for primacy in Eastern Europe. Austria, Prussia, and Russia partitioned Poland three times between 1772 and 1795.
Russia made Poland a principality within the Russian empire and engaged in heavy Russification until Poland’s independence in 1918. Another attempt by the communist Soviet Union to take back Poland in its fold ended with the Red Army’s defeat at the Battle of Warsaw in 1920. Later, in 1940, Stalin occupied Poland and executed over 20,000 Polish officers and intelligentsia. Poland was partitioned again with Germany.
The Soviets occupied the entire Poland at the end of World War II, imposed a communist regime until 1989, and created full dependence on the Soviet Union. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the ascent of the right-wing populist and national-conservative “Law and Justice” political party in Poland in 2015 led to a more active anti-Russia policy.
