Poland, Sweden sign bilateral strategic partnership deal

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) - Poland and Sweden signed a bilateral strategic partnership agreement, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters in the Swedish town of Harpsund Thursday.

“It is crucial for the EU that a group of countries has been created in which we say with full conviction that in matters of security and European sovereignty we speak the same language. This is a fairly new experience,” Tusk said at a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

“Thank you for yesterday's deep and honest, open discussion from this new format, which has become the Nordic and Baltic countries and Poland. Thanks to your initiative, we felt that the countries that bear the responsibility of the eastern flank of the EU and NATO, the Baltic Sea, speak one language. This is also a great merit of the Swedish government,” Tusk added.

“(Russian President) Vladimir Putin's tactics are clear. If we are scared by his threats, it will be his victory. The fact that he uses tough threats so often is a testament to weakness, not strength. The Kremlin's strategy is clear. Those who cannot cope mentally will lose. If Ukraine were scared of Russia, we would have Russian soldiers on the Polish border. ... We will support Ukraine as long as necessary,” he went on.

Asked about EU support for Ukraine, Tusk said: "Countries that are traditionally considered less pro-Ukrainian, such as Hungary or Slovakia, in terms of humanitarian aid or equipment, also participate in joint actions."

“Our countries share a common approach to threats and we understand that freedom is never given once and for all. Poland's security is Sweden's security," Kristersson said.

Kristersson and Tusk had agreed to start work on "broader, more effective bilateral cooperation in the field of defense," focusing on the security of the Baltic Sea, the Swedish premier added.

The invitation of Poland for the first time to a meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) -- Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia is seen by some as a pivot away from a foreign policy based on Visegrad Group (Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia) and Weimar Triangle (Poland, France, Germany) concepts.

"The Nordic countries have been cooperating closely for years, creating a format called NB8 together with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson invited Donald Tusk to this meeting for the first time, because times are extremely difficult," the digital Spanish daily El Independiente commented.

On Wednesday, Tusk proposed the creation of a mission in the Baltic Sea. “My colleagues found this mission interesting. We will continue to work out the details,” he said.

Tusk added that the Baltic Sea region has become an arena of geopolitical changes. “The war has completely changed the reality of our region, the reality of all of Europe, the Scandinavian and Baltic countries. These are our closest friends, partners and allies, especially in the context of defense and security,” he said during a joint conference with the heads of the Nordic and Baltic states.

Tusk also said that security and Ukraine would remain Poland's priorities during the presidency of the EU Council, which begins on Jan. 1, 2025. According to Tusk, security is to be ensured by investments in offshore wind energy.

"The presence of Prime Minister Tusk at this meeting is natural. Our views converge on key issues: the belief that Ukraine must be supported with all our might, that transatlantic ties must be maintained, and that Russia's aggressive actions must be limited," Andreas von Beckerath, the Swedish ambassador to Warsaw, told the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita.