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The Ukraine conflict is giving Warsaw time to rebuild its military capacity, a top Polish official has said
Poland has ammunition to hold the line for up to two weeks in the event of war, until allied forces arrive, the head of the country’s National Security Bureau has said.
Dariusz Lukowski told local broadcaster Polsat News on Wednesday that Poland has been increasing arms production to build sufficient capacity to resist a potential Russian attack. The NATO member shares a 144-mile border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
Moscow has consistently denied having aggressive intentions toward NATO countries and insists that the Ukraine conflict was triggered by the military bloc’s expansion toward Russia’s borders.
Asked whether Poland’s reserves might only last for five days of war, Lukowski said that was “possible in many areas and types of ammunition,” though not across all categories of munitions.
“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 said.
According to Lukowski, the situation is most critical when it comes to ammunition for older weapons systems, for which production has already ceased.
Lukowski said Poland has been draining its stockpiles to supply weapons to Ukraine, but emphasized “this is being done very cautiously,” and added that “at this stage, we are replenishing those stockpiles.”
He also said that as long as the Ukraine conflict continues, “we are gaining time to rebuild our [military] potential – the capacity to produce and replenish those stockpiles.” Poland is among several NATO members who argue that Russia poses a threat.
Warsaw has launched a $2.6 billion ‘Eastern Shield’ project to beef up its eastern border, with officials indicating that anti-personnel landmines could play a key role.
Moscow has repeatedly ridiculed Western claims that it intends to attack NATO or EU states, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such statements as “nonsense.” Putin has also suggested that the supposed threat of a Russian attack is being used by European politicians to scare their citizens to extract more resources from them and justify increased military spending.
Russian officials have also blasted the EU’s increasing military build up as reckless and escalatory. The Kremlin says the bloc’s confrontational rhetoric and plans could hamper the chances of finding a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
