Tusk was speaking at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday, as ministers from their countries held a series of bilateral talks in Warsaw.
The so-called intergovernmental consultations, the first of their kind since 2018, were widely seen as a new opening after tense relations between the neighboring states under Poland’s previous nationalist administration.
The talks came as Warsaw and Berlin face security challenges related to the war in Ukraine.
“We are on the right track to speak confidently again about Polish-German friendship in these very difficult times,” Tusk said.
He added that other countries, such as Ukraine, have been waiting to hear such a message of solidarity.
“Everyone is looking at our relations with a lot of hope because they can open up many different interesting opportunities for the whole of Europe, Ukraine, Germany, and, above all, from my point of view, for Poland,” Tusk added.
In a sign that bilateral ties are improving, Scholz said that Germany would try to implement support initiatives for survivors of the Nazi German occupation of Poland during World War II.
He added that his government had decided to establish a "Polish-German House" in Berlin “to commemorate Polish victims of World War II and the Nazi occupation,” which, in his opinion, will constitute "a visible sign against forgetting and a warning for the future."
The two leaders also spoke about the need for cooperation on a ground-based integrated air defense system dubbed the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI).
“We have no doubt, and here too I heard this declaration with great satisfaction, that Poland and Germany will work together for bilateral solutions… including for the European Air Shield,” Tusk said.
Security and defense
He stressed the need for increased cooperation on security issues.
“Security in the broadest sense, military cooperation, as well as cooperation on illegal migration, joint work for a secure external border of the EU; these are topics I am particularly concerned about,” Tusk said.
Scholz also spoke about the two countries' defense plans.
“We want to take a leadership role in the Baltic region within the framework of NATO and in protecting the eastern flank of the alliance,” Scholz said.
The German chancellor added that Vladimir Putin was threatening security on the continent.
“Together, we stand alongside Ukraine and the Ukrainians in their tireless struggle against Russia's imperialist war,” Scholz said.
He also pointed out that Poland and Germany are among the countries providing the most support to Ukraine politically, militarily, and in terms of accepting refugees from the war-torn country.
EU enlargement
Speaking about EU expansion, Scholz declared his support for Ukraine joining the bloc.
“We will cooperate even more closely in the area of supporting Ukraine, as well as accompanying Ukraine on its path to the EU,” he declared.
“Our shared responsibility also applies to Europe. Our common goal is that the enlargement of the EU to include more members will soon become a reality.”
Scholz added that Montenegro, Moldova, and Ukraine have made great progress in this area.
