Speaking during a visit to an area near the Russian border, Donald Tusk said: "Everything we are doing here … is designed to deter and discourage a potential aggressor, so it is truly an investment in peace."
He added: "We will spend billions on this, but the entire Europe is watching our work with great satisfaction and will support this project and our efforts if necessary."
Tusk announced the completion of the first section of the Eastern Shield project near the village of Dąbrówka in the country's northeastern Warmińsko-Mazurskie province.
He called the Eastern Shield an unprecedented initiative, "the largest project of its kind in the history of Europe after 1945."
The PLN 10 billion (EUR 2.32 billion, USD 2.46 billion) project, set to be completed by 2028, includes the construction of fortifications, telecommunications systems and military infrastructure in partnership with NATO allies, according to officials.
Tusk described the Eastern Shield as "an intelligent system of effective border defences" and "a very modern idea of how to protect the border using various elements of infrastructure such as concrete hedgehogs, anti-tank ditches, and even natural environmental features."
Tusk, who attended a meeting of Nordic and Baltic leaders in Sweden earlier this week, told reporters that Baltic region countries would work with Poland to ensure effective infrastructure along the entire length of the borders with Russia and Belarus.
He also mentioned plans to enhance security along the Polish-Ukrainian border to "provide Poles with greater safety along the entire eastern frontier."
Tusk reaffirmed that the government has no plans to seize property under eminent domain or force people to resettle as part of the massive defence project.
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Source: IAR, PAP