Polish, French defence ministers discuss European security

Poland's Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak has met with his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu to discuss European security amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, according to officials.

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak

Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

The Polish defence ministry said in a tweet that Błaszczak and Lecornu talked about "bilateral cooperation and the security situation in the region" when they met in Paris on Monday.

W czasie wizyty we Francji wicepremier @mblaszczak 🇵🇱 o współpracy dwustronnej i sytuacji bezpieczeństwa w regionie rozmawiał z ministrem obrony 🇫🇷 @SebLecornu. pic.twitter.com/fFynzcJV9j

— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) June 19, 2023

Błaszczak also met with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of an air defence conference in Paris, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

According to the Polish defence ministry, defence ministers from across the EU and "representatives of Allied militaries" took part in the high-profile event in the French capital.

Deputy Prime Minister @mblaszczak together with, among others, #EU defense ministers and representatives of Allied militaries takes part in a conference on air defense in #Paris 🇫🇷 https://t.co/E8WmZpkEaD

— Poland MOD 🇵🇱 (@Poland_MOD) June 19, 2023

It added in a separate post that the Paris air defence conference was attended by Macron, EU defence ministers and military commanders.

Konferencja na temat obrony powietrznej z udziałem prezydenta 🇫🇷 @EmmanuelMacron, ministrów obrony państw UE oraz dowódców wojskowych #Paryż 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/tOrRdljCxS

— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) June 19, 2023

Meanwhile, France's Lecornu tweeted that Europe needed to "build an independent strategy" to defend its airspace and "strengthen its collective security and autonomy."

Ensemble, en Européens, nous devons construire une stratégie autonome de défense de notre espace aérien.

C’est le sens de l’initiative portée par le Président de la République aujourd’hui.

Pour renforcer notre sécurité collective et notre autonomie. pic.twitter.com/yc9yjOf5Vm

— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) June 19, 2023

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.

Tuesday is day 482 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP