French President Emmanuel MacronandPolish Prime Minister Donald Tuskare meeting Monday in the north ofPolandto strengthendefencecooperation in the face ofRussian threatsandweakening US commitment to Europe.

The meeting is the first since the two countries signed atreaty of friendshipand enhanced cooperation last May.

"We have very similar views on how to buildEurope's strength, the sovereignty of Poland, ofFrance, and of Europe," Tusk said on the eve of the visit.

As Europe ramps up its defensive capabilities in the face ofRussia's four-year old invasion ofUkraineand US PresidentDonald Trump's questioning of the Atlantic alliance, the two leaders will discuss the possibility of a Polish role in France's nuclear deterrent.

While France has specified it would retain full control over the decision to use force, Polish forces could contribute in areas such as early warning and air defense, both sides say.

'European preference'

Macron's office said the two countries would also enter into a partnership on a "military communications satellite project," involving "French, Polish, and other European operators."

Another key issue is "European preference" formilitaryprocurement, which Macron has promoted. That's led to some tension with Eastern European countries, including Poland, which are strongly attached to their relationship with the United States.

Poland in recent years has massively invested in modernising its armed forces, making it an attractive ally.

Poland's military spending is among the highest inNATO, expected to exceed 4.8 percent of GDP in 2026, far ahead of most countries in Europe.

But the country has placed "colossal orders for American F-35s, Apache attack helicopters, Patriot missiles, and Abrams tanks," a European diplomat close to the matter said.

Nationalist President Karol Nawrocki, a rival to Tusk, is opposed to Poland's participation in the EU's SAFE (Security Action For Europe) program, citing a threat to his country's "independence", even if it would contribute tens of billions of euros to itsdefence.

Pro-European fold

Poland is now led once again by a pro-European government following Tusk's electoral victory in 2023, but it remains fundamentally attached to its relationship with the US.

That relationship has been tested by Trump's repeated insults against Europe and thewar he startedwithIran.

"Washington's strategy has indeed changed" toward Europeans, the prime minister told a press conference. But "Polish-American and Euro-American relations" remain "very important," he said.

Macron and Tusk will also welcomeHungary's return to the pro-European fold after the electoral defeat of Prime MinisterViktor Orban, who had cast himself as the leader of the illiberal and nationalist camp in the EU.

Read moreOrban ousted: What Magyars victory means for Hungary and the EU

Monday's meetings are being held in Gdansk, a symbol of Europe's upheavals in the 20th century.

The port city, which lies about 150 kilometres from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, was the site of iconic shipyards where the pro-democracy Solidarnosc (known in English as Solidarity) movement was born, that eventually resulted in the end of Soviet rule.

Macron began his trip with a visit to a nearbyFrench militarycemetery, following in the footsteps of previous visiting French presidents.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Originally published on France24