NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte travelled to Poland on Thursday (18 December 2025), where he met President Karol Nawrocki, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. The Secretary General visited the Bemowo Piskie training area, where he had the opportunity to meet and thank personnel serving as part of NATO's Forward Land Forces.
"As well as US troops, this base hosts troops from Romania, Croatia, the UK and of course Poland. And indeed, many of them will spend the holiday period away from their families, standing watch. Keeping us all safe, and enhancing our deterrence and defence posture on NATO's eastern flank," he said at a joint press conference with Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Mr Rutte commended Poland for its significant contributions to Allied security. "On the land, at sea and in the air, Poland's military continues to grow stronger. You are showing leadership by investing over 4.5% of GDP in defence, with that number set to rise even further in 2026," he said.
The Secretary General also highlighted that support to Ukraine is something we are all committed to. "Not only as the push for peace continues, but well beyond. Ukraine's security is ours - Poland knows this well," he said. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Poland has allocated more than 4 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, including 100 million dollars to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirement List (PURL), providing essential US equipment to Ukraine. Poland hosts a logistics hub for NATO's support to Ukraine, as well as the Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC) in Bydgoszcz.
In response to repeated incursions into NATO airspace on the eastern flank, including in Poland, NATO launched Eastern Sentry in September. Much like Baltic Sentry, this activity has strengthened NATO's collective defence, said Secretary General Rutte: "It adds flexibility and resilience to NATO's posture on the eastern flank and sends a clear message: as a defensive Alliance, we are ready to deter and defend, from the Black Sea to High North - and beyond."
