Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently declared that Poland will not implement the European Pact for Migration and Asylum, to which the European Commissioner Magnus Brunner responded by saying that the country will have to bear the consequences.
Talking to Euronews, Tomasz Siemoniak did not show concern. "Our consent to this will not be given", he said. "We are not saying no because no, we are saying that Poland took in one million refugees from Ukraine during the war, and this means a certain financial cost for our state". He also explained that Warsaw mainly rejects "accepting migrants or paying if they are not accepted". When asked about what will happen with refugees the day the war ends, he stated that "it is not certain that these people will actually want to leave Poland and return to Ukraine". And he added that "if they consider Poland as a place for the future of their family, their life, then they will simply stay here". But added that it was too early to speculate.
Siemoniak also talked about the situation on the Polish border with Belarus, which has seen an important flux of illegal migrants since 2021. "This is hybrid aggression. These are people who arrive by airplanes in Moscow, Minsk and are driven by buses to the vicinity of the border, instructed by Belarusian services", he underlined. The Home Affairs minister also lamented that the situation has worsened. "In the last few days we have been dealing with an increase in numbers and with an increase in aggression. The climax of aggression was last May with the murder of a Polish soldier on the border, and at the moment we have had several incidents in which throwing stones, throwing branches, destroying cars, border guards or the army took place", he said.
Prepared for the worst scenario
Warsaw, which supports Ukraine's struggle against Russia's full-scale invasion, has been arming itself for several years by making large purchases of military equipment, including fighter jets, tanks and missile defence systems from the US and South Korea. Recently, prime minister Donald Tusk announced voluntary military exercises for citizens, and ministries are to send brochures with information on how to behave in case of emergencies.
This has raised fear among the population of a possible Russian attack. "Very often I get this question from people on the street in various situations. And I answer: we must do everything so that there is no war", he explained. "On the other hand, as people responsible for the security of the country, we are obliged to act in such a way as to be prepared for the worst scenarios".
The interview with Tomasz Siemoniak was part of the grand opening of the Polish section of Euronews in Warsaw
