On Friday, November 7, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz paid a visit to Rome, where he met with Italy’s Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto.
Photo: master corporal Wojciech Król/Polish Ministry Of National Defence
“Together with Minister Guido Crosetto, who is a great friend of Poland, we reaffirmed our close partnership. Minister Guido is also my dear friend among the defense ministers of NATO and the European Union. Our Polish–Italian alliance is the strongest in history. It was thanks to the Italian Air Force that the operation conducted on the night of September 9–10 this year – the operation to counter and shoot down Russian drones – could take place. The Italian Air Force, within the Air Policing mission, took part in reconnaissance and information sharing. Without the presence of Italian aircraft and Italian pilots, this would not have been possible. During today’s meetings, I expressed my gratitude on behalf of the Polish nation, all our soldiers, and the citizens of the Republic of Poland,” said Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz after his meeting with Italy’s Minister of Defence.
“Today we discussed matters related to SAFE – the European program. Poland and Italy are among the top four countries that will benefit the most from the SAFE program, which provides loans for the purchase of military equipment and armaments. These are highly favorable loans, repayable until 2070. We also talked about joint procurements and initiatives between the Polish and Italian defense industries. The Italian defense industry is excellent and highly developed. We have signed contracts that are currently being implemented – the AW101 and AW149 helicopters with Leonardo. We are also cooperating with other companies. Our pilots are training on Italian-made aircraft (the M-346 Bielik). Italian companies also have their branches in Poland – several thousand Polish employees work there. This is a shared effort between our nations. Another topic we discussed was the decision to establish a new agreement on military cooperation between Poland and Italy. In a very short time, we will sign a Memorandum of Understanding covering cooperation, including joint exercises and combined military presence,” the Minister of National Defense added.
The bilateral talks focused on issues including current Polish–Italian defense relations and their future development, the contribution of both countries to allied security through their engagement on NATO’s eastern and southern flanks, as well as European Union initiatives for strengthening security, including the implementation of the SAFE instrument.
“I invited Minister Crosetto to our Polish–Belarusian border to see the East Shield and initiatives related to anti-drone and air defense systems. We spoke at length about the situation in Ukraine. Poland and Italy have supported Ukraine since the very beginning – in the interest of both European and our national security. Today, the frontline between Russia and Ukraine marks the boundary of Polish, Italian, and European security. We will continue to act together, not only sharing experiences but also putting them into practice. We also discussed drone systems in detail – the Italians are interested in our solutions. Poland has very capable companies, including those in the private sector, which are among Europe’s largest drone manufacturers,” said Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in Rome.
