PM Mateusz Morawiecki has blocked the PLN 2 billion (US$535 000 000) Australian frigates deal.
The move comes despite president Andrzej Duda’s and minister of national defense Mariusz Błaszczak’s trip to Australia.
“We’ve been holding talks on the matter, and we still are. This is an issue of inside talks, on one hand they have a military aspect, but also a business side because of the matter of the Polish shipbuilding industry. I assure, however, that the subject hasn’t been dropped,” Andrzej Duda told PAP in Sydney.
Poland, the largest country on the Eastern flank, is yet again showing its NATO allies that it has a serious issue with acquiring weaponry.
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One of the previous disagreements was the purchase of the Caracal helicopters. First, the Civic Platform (PO) government negotiated the military contract and the Law and Justice (PiS) government was meant to deal with the offset. The talks did not end in a signed contract. Also, nothing is yet clear about the purchase of new submarines for the navy.
Agreement on priorities when it comes to purchases for national defense is not only impossible between two of the largest political parties, but also between members of the same ruling party.
To protect its citizens, the Polish military needs stability and continuity. Because of the lack of these in terms of military purchases, protecting the country’s borders as well as its independence is impossible. Not even the biggest “Great Parade of Independence” will change that.
