Zbigniew Rau made the remark during an annual security policy conference in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Friday, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Poland’s top diplomat told reporters that the Snow Meeting conference "has confirmed that the voice of Poland, Lithuania, the Baltic states, which make up the core of NATO’s eastern flank, is being heard and is growing in influence.”
‘I’m optimistic' about tanks for Ukraine
Rau also referred to what he described as Germany’s reluctance to approve the transfer of Leopard battle tanks to war-torn Ukraine.
He stated: “There are differences of opinion, but I’m optimistic. We are raising various points to persuade the German government, which has been the most hesitant to send tanks to Ukraine.”
Poland, Lithuania 'speak in one voice'
Rau praised Polish-Lithuanian relations, describing them as "special" and saying that the two countries were "coordinating" their "stances.”
He added: “We are speaking in one voice on such issues as security, energy and transport links. We are close politically.”
Rau also told reporters that Poland and Lithuania "speak in one voice in NATO and the European Union.”
On Friday morning, Rau laid flowers at the grave of Polish independence hero Józef Piłsudski and at a memorial in Vilnius honouring the heroes of Poland’s 1863 January Uprising against Russia.
The Snow Meeting is an annual international conference bringing together politicians, strategists and security policy experts, according to officials.
This year, the two-day event focused on Western support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion and "the priorities of the upcoming NATO summit," to be held in Vilnius in July, reporters were told.
Friday is day 331 of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, urm.lt