'Predator' Putin can only be kept in check through strong deterrence, says von der Leyen

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin will always be a "predator".

Von der Leyen made the remark during a trip to the Polish-Belarusian border on Sunday, where she discussed defence and security with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

"Putin has not changed and will not change. He is a predator," the European Commission president said, adding that "he can only be kept in check through strong deterrence".

As well as stressing the importance of applying continued pressure on Putin, the EU chief also assured Tusk and the Polish people of "Europe’s full solidarity with Poland as a frontline state".

Von der Leyen's trip to Poland came as part of a four-day tour of European countries bordering Russia or its ally Belarus.

Poland has blamed Minsk for the migrant crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border which began in 2021.

Warsaw says that Belarus is deliberately carrying out "hybrid warfare" there in an effort to undermine European security.

Poland, the largest defence spender in Europe

Von der Leyen spoke of the need for Europe to strengthen its defence sector so that it can be "stronger and safer" in the face of Russian aggression.

The EU Commission president stressed that EU member states with direct borders with Belarus and Russia will receive additional funds.

"To match Poland’s readiness, we have proposed a fivefold increase in defence investments. And a ten-fold increase in funding for military mobility," she said.

Poland, which is the largest defence spender in Europe, is also planning to invest more in its military, Tusk said.

"Poland will invest PLN 200 billion (€47bn) in defence next year, in the defence industry and in the Polish army," he noted.

"So we take our responsibilities seriously and we expect all institutions and countries in Europe to take the security of the eastern border equally seriously and to take a tough stance against the aggressor and against Russia," he said.

45th anniversary of the August Agreements

The meeting between Tusk and von der Leyen coincided with the 45th anniversary the August Agreements, a historical deal between the communist government and striking workers that paved the way for the creation of the Solidarity Trade Union, the first independent trade union in the Eastern bloc, which played a pivotal role in the collapse of communism in Europe.

"We are not here to celebrate an anniversary," Tusk said. "I have chosen this place...to show what contemporary solidarity is about today."

"Solidarity was a great dream of independence, it was a great movement whose task was also to unite Europe and to separate itself from the evil world, from the evil empire of the time," the Polish prime minister suggested.

"And this border is as important today as our dream to liberate ourselves from Soviet domination was important then," he added.

As part of her defence and security push, von der Leyen will also be visiting Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Latvia, as well as Bulgaria and Romania.