Polish leadership aligns on defence and US basing after border drone strikes

High-level security talks in Warsaw

Polish President Karol Nawrocki met on 18 September 2026 with Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Chief of the General Staff Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, and Head of the National Security Bureau Bartosz Grodecki. The talks at the Presidential Palace lasted more than two hours and concluded before 15:00. The session took place ahead of Nawrocki's scheduled departure to New York for the general debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly session. Discussions focused on current security assessments, NATO plans, and state responses to recent aerial incursions along Poland's eastern and northern frontiers. Grodecki noted that Nawrocki reviewed a comprehensive security analysis compiled by the National Security Bureau prior to the meeting.

US base consensus and intelligence sharing

During a post-meeting briefing at the Sejm, Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that the government and the presidency share unified positions regarding military cooperation with the United States. He confirmed that both institutions are coordinating on efforts to establish a permanent US military installation on Polish soil. The defence minister noted that the government values Nawrocki's direct working relationship with US President Donald Trump, while the executive cabinet handles the financial allocations and infrastructure readiness required to host American units. Discussions also reviewed classified intelligence supplied by US Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, which Nawrocki received on 17 September. Special services coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak remains in direct contact with Grodecki to maintain operational intelligence sharing between the cabinet and the presidency.

I think across all centres of power, in the government, in parliament, and with the president, there must be and is this sense of building a common denominator, which is security. We need this very much in these difficult moments.

Preceding border and Baltic drone incidents

The presidential consultations followed multiple security events recorded along Poland's perimeter earlier in the week. On the morning of 13 September, during Russian strikes on Ukraine, two Geran-5 drones struck positions near the Polish boundary. One strike damaged the locomotive of a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train at Yahodyn station two kilometres from the Polish border, while a second struck a petrol station near the Dorohusk-Yahodyn crossing. Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency briefing on the evening of 13 September to address Russian actions occurring close to Polish territory. On 14 September, military and hydrographic personnel located an armed drone equipped with a combat warhead near Rusinowo in Zachodniopomorskie along the Baltic coast.

Future institutional coordination

The National Security Bureau is preparing systemic recommendations based on the Friday deliberations to guide inter-agency national defence policy. Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed plans for upcoming bilateral talks in Washington concerning US basing agreements and the conflict in Ukraine. The defence minister stated that aligning government and presidential efforts is necessary during difficult security conditions. He expressed support for regular consultations between civilian defence leadership, the military general staff, and the head of state.

These types of meetings between the defence minister, the chief of staff, and the president, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, seem to be a very good solution. I believe this format will be possible to continue.