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Poland seeks NATO fuel pipeline centre as minister warns of Russian threat

21.07.2026 13:55
Poland has offered to host a proposed NATO command centre to coordinate the expansion of a key military fuel pipeline network, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak Kamysz said on Tuesday.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz speaking at a press briefing at the defence ministry in Warsaw on Tuesday.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz speaking at a press briefing at the defence ministry in Warsaw on Tuesday.Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak

Kosiniak-Kamysz, who also serves as the country's deputy prime minister, was speaking after a weekly meeting of the government's National Security Committee, which also discussed what he described as growing Russian provocations, from military aircraft activity to online disinformation.

The plan follows a NATO summit in Ankara in July, where allies agreed to extend the Central Europe Pipeline System (CEPS) " towards the eastern part."

Built in the 1950s, the roughly 5,000km network currently supplies aviation fuel to NATO bases and civilian airports across France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland would put itself forward as the location for a new centre managing the pipeline's expansion.

"This is the best example of dual use," he said, adding the infrastructure would serve Poland both in peacetime and in war.

Warning against Russian provocation

The minister said Russia had "carried out 904 actions" against Ukrainian forces in the past week alone, citing figures from Poland's General Staff.

These included air strikes – particularly overnight on Saturday into Sunday – cruise and ballistic missiles, along with glide bombs, which he said had been used at the highest rate since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters that the figures were a message to "those who spread false propaganda" suggesting that support for Ukraine, including from the EU, should be halted.

He also noted that Russia had seized Ukrainian drones, which he said could be used as a form of provocation.

"We must be ready for hostile actions from Moscow," the defence minister warned.

The committee also discussed cybersecurity and what he described as increasing disinformation efforts by Russia.

"We will not manage if this Russian propaganda is repeated by Poles, by ourselves."

"That is when huge danger arises," Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed, urging people to verify their sources.

(ał)

Source: PAP, IAR