The head of Polish diplomacy Zbigniew Rau attended the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Bucharest on 29-30 November. For the first time, in addition to the Allies, the heads of the foreign ministries of Finland and Sweden, countries invited to join the Alliance, were also present at all meetings.

The main topic of discussion included allied security and support for Ukraine following Moscow’s massive missile attacks on Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure. The Allies reaffirmed the need to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence policy, considering the direct consequences of Russian aggression on Poland’s security, but also on the North Atlantic Alliance as a whole. They also expressed solidarity with Poland, following the tragic explosion in Przewodów which resulted in the deaths of two Polish citizens”, reported Łukasz Jasina, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Together with Ukraine’s head of diplomacy, Dmytro Kuleba, the participants discussed the possibilities of increasing practical support to Kyiv. Minister Rau outlined the scope and scale of Polish assistance and expressed support for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. In his speech, the head of Polish diplomacy also noted that “a free and stable Ukraine, anchored in Western institutions, is of vital importance for our security”.

The heads of diplomacy of NATO countries met their counterparts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Moldova, as partners particularly vulnerable to Russia’s destructive interference in their internal situation. The allies announced the development of political cooperation, but also practical assistance to build the resilience of these countries.

Minister Zbigniew Rau also attended a G7+ meeting on coordinating post-assistance to Ukraine on energy security and critical infrastructure repair.

Adrian Andrzejewski