The Gdańsk summit between French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk contributed to establishing a practical path to expand the French-Polish defense partnership, through cooperation in nuclear deterrence, information exchange, joint exercises, and the possibility of deploying French nuclear aircraft in Poland, in addition to a military satellite deal and defense industry agreements.
Published on: 04/21/2026 - 00:32 Last updated: 04/21/2026 - 07:33
French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, on Monday, gave a new impetus to cooperation between their countries in the fields of nuclear deterrence, military satellites and defense industries, during their meeting in the city of Gdańsk in northern Poland.
During the joint press conference, Macron explained that his country intends to proceed on a rapid practical path, saying, “There will be work from now until the summer that will enable us to make tangible progress” in the field of nuclear deterrence.
Macron went on to explain the aspects of this cooperation by saying that among the files presented were “the exchange of information, joint training, and the possibility of deploying” French nuclear-armed aircraft in Poland, in reference to the deepening of the military partnership between Paris and Warsaw.
The French President also indicated that Paris and Warsaw will discuss ways for Polish conventional forces to support French deterrence capacity in the areas of "surface-to-air defense, long-range missiles, early warning systems, and space," as part of a comprehensive approach to strengthening joint defense capabilities.
On the Polish side, Tusk stressed the open nature of this cooperation, stressing that “our cooperation, whether in the nuclear field or joint exercises, knows no bounds,” in an expression of his country’s readiness to engage widely in this partnership.
At the level of defense and space industries, the meeting witnessed the signing of an agreement between the European companies Airbus and Thales and the Polish Radmor Group to develop a military communications satellite for the Polish Armed Forces, in the presence of French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautran and Polish Minister of Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak Kamisz, according to a joint statement by the three companies. Macron was also accompanied to Gdansk by the Ministers of European Affairs, Energy and Culture.
The Gdańsk summit falls within the context of activating the Treaty of Friendship and Enhanced Cooperation signed on May 9, 2025 in the city of Nancy, eastern France, which established Poland as a major ally of France alongside Germany, at a time when Warsaw continues extensive investments in modernizing its armed forces. Polish military spending is expected to exceed 4.8% of GDP by 2026, making its defense budget among the highest within NATO.
In addition, Poland continues to enhance its defense capabilities through major arms deals, including “huge orders for American F-35 fighter jets, Apache attack helicopters, Patriot missiles, and Abrams tanks,” according to a well-informed European diplomat.
Meanwhile, Macron and Tusk welcomed, in another context, what they described as Hungary's return to Europe after the electoral defeat of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, which prompted the French president to express his optimism about the possibility of disbursing a European loan to Ukraine worth 90 billion euros that Budapest during Orban's era was obstructing, saying, "With Orban's departure, the dawn of a new era in Hungary... and a new era in Europe."
France 24/AFP
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