The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met today in Warsaw with the Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk – the two most powerful leaders of the EPP at the moment – in the first visit of a Greek prime minister to Poland since 2011.

During the meeting, all issues of European interest were discussed, in view of the extraordinary European Council next week (April 17-18), as well as issues of regional and international interest, with a focus on the latest developments in Ukraine and the Middle East.

At joint statements after the meeting, Donald Tusk warmly welcomed the Greek Prime Minister.

“For many reasons, our collaboration with Prime Minister Mr. Mitsotakis is always excellent. We can rely on each other”, emphasized the Prime Minister of Poland.

For his part, the Greek Prime Minister reciprocated the positive words. In fact, in his speech Kyriakos Mitsotakis thanked his Polish counterpart for the help in last summer’s fires in Greece.

The Prime Minister referred to common challenges faced by the two countries, as members of the EU, such as war in Ukraine and the illegal immigration.

“We must defend our borders, national and Europeansaid the prime minister, referring to the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, which was voted in favor recently.

“Defense policy must also be high on our European agenda and something we have to discuss after the European elections”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis also stated.

Referring to the issue of defense, he said that Greece and Poland spend well over 2% of their GDP. “We need to be at the forefront of issues related to defense in Europe. This may include some joint borrowing or other forms. It should be discussed after the next European elections”, noted Mr. Mitsotakis.

He also said that with Mr. Tusk there are two leaders from the EPP and they can play important role in Europe’s initiatives in the next electoral cycle, either in matters concerning defense and security, or concerning competitiveness and creation new jobsor him agricultural sector. He mentioned that the green transition it is necessary but it must be done in a way that farmers do not feel threatened.

He also stated that we are grateful for the help of the Polish firefighters and that we are considering the creation of a mechanism for some of them to be permanently in Greece. He also spoke about the economic cooperation between the two countries, noting that 1.3 million Polish tourists come every year to our country and how we would like this number to increase.

The journalists’ questions

The first question the two leaders received was about them sanctions on Russia.

“We agreed that significant efforts are needed regarding the frozen assets of Russian entities since Russian capital at the disposal of Western economies is 380 billion globally. More and more European citizens are wondering about this, why should we cover the cost of the Russian invasion when we have Russian money at our disposal. Step by step we are getting closer to making decisions,” said the Prime Minister of Poland. He also said that in a meeting he will have with his Danish counterpart, they will also discuss the issue of the shadow fleet, the more than 100 ships in the Baltic that illegally transport Russian oil without a flag.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that Russia did not expect in 2022 that Europe would be so united in supporting Ukraine, he noted that the EU has unblocked 50 billion for the next years and provides military aid both bilaterally and through European tools. He said that it should be investigated whether there are countries that violate the sanctions against Russia and added that “we support the idea of ​​using the interest or the principal of Russian money in European banks but making sure that whatever is done will be legally safe in case be challenged in the future”.

The second question they received was about her defense of Europe. “We need to explore new ways of cooperation at the European level. I believe that the debate on the use of common borrowing that will create a European fund is a debate that we cannot postpone. We have common challenges such as missile defense and I believe that if we use such a fund, we will need some flagship projects and programs that will show that they offer security to all European citizens”, answered Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

He noted that the last strategic compass was designed in 2019 when no one thought we would have another war in Europe but the facts have changed.

“The Russian invasion is a barbaric ordeal for Ukraine and the EU states. We must be prepared for the worst-case scenarios,” said Donald Tusk. “I don’t want to scare anyone, be Cassandra, be a harbinger of evil, or set a dramatic tone for the future. But this war is part of reality. Here near our eastern border, one can hear the missiles. It’s here, it’s not something unclear,” continued the Polish Prime Minister, emphasizing among other things that Europe must become a political and military power. “Our views in this area are common and we will use our influence in Europe to mobilize our partners in Brussels and strengthen Europe’s defense deterrence capabilities,” he underlined.

Mitsotakis and Tusk who have signed for the candidacy of Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as president of the European Commission