On Tuesday, Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski announced that Warsaw is planning to buy US Patriot surface-to-air missiles in light of a perceived Russian threat.
"Poland is investing in offensive weapons which means that it does not build its own security, its own defense system, but it builds a kind of army units that would be ready for intervention and aggression abroad. In the context of the Ukrainian conflict, it is quite obvious that potentially Polish force could be used in Ukraine," Piskorski said.
"Probably, Poland will have to sign several bills about financing all these programs of Armed Forces organizations which will rise and increase the already existing debt of Poland, which of course, influence the whole political and economic situation in the country," Piskorski said.
He added that currently different social groups in Poland are raising concerns about the authorities' plans to raise the military budget instead of addressing important social issues.
In mid-April, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said that the conflict in Ukraine prompted many European countries, including Poland and the Baltic states to boost their military spending. According to SIPRI, in 2015 Poland is to increase its military budget by 19 percent to $9.9 billion.
The United States pressures Eastern European countries to sign military deals with Washington to disrupt cooperation between Russia and the European Union, Mateusz Piskorski told Sputnik.
“Poland together with other Eastern European countries, including all the three Baltic countries and Romania are used by the US policymakers to disrupt any ideas and concepts of cooperation between Russia, Eurasian Union and European Union.”
According to Piskorski, there are no strategic military-defense reasons for signing the deal. The only reason to place a Patriot missile system in Poland is the financial interest promoted by US politicians.
The deal could create tensions, not only with Russia but also between Poland and its neighbors, Piskorski said, adding that the agreement is part of Washington’s “policy of dividing Europe.”
In 2009, the United States and NATO included Poland in its ballistic missile defense system in Europe. Moscow has repeatedly raised concerns over the placement of ballistic missile systems close to Russia’s borders, adding that the move could unbalance the region.
Washington is pushing the Polish government to sign deals with US companies to modernize the Polish military, the Polish politician said.
"In this particular case there is no strategic justification [or] strategic arguments for placing the Patriot system in Poland. It's just a financial cooperation or interest which is promoted by the US politicians."
The Polish party leader also noted that a few years ago Hillary Clinton, at that time Secretary of State, visited Poland together with several representatives of the US defense industry, openly trying to lobby their interests.
"The US politicians applied a lot of pressure on Polish decision-makers to buy the equipment and all the weapons from the US, this is the part of their policy. I think that first and foremost it's a realization of some business plans of the US industry in Europe."
"From the strategic point of view and from the point of view of the security interests of Poland, this [Patriot deal] decision might bring some tensions between Poland and its neighbors, not only Russia, but also other countries which oppose this war propaganda and war rhetoric of the United States which is supported by the Polish authorities," the politician told Sputnik.
