Poland expects NATO to be proactive in defending the alliance’s eastern flank by defining Russia as an aggressor and accepting Sweden and Finland’s membership applications, Paweł Soloch, national security advisor to Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, told journalists ahead of the Madrid NATO summit.
Poland will demand an increase in the presence of NATO forces on the eastern flank through replacing the enhanced Forward Presence with enhanced Forward Defense and by upgrading battalions to the level of brigades.
Duda held a meeting with members of the government and the military in order to gather views ahead of the NATO summit.
Earlier on Monday, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg announced significant strengthening of NATO’s eastern flank, including a seven-fold increase in the numbers of rapid deployment forces available.
The Polish president’s national security advisor said that President Duda had repeatedly called for such measures ahead of the NATO Madrid summit, and was certain that the NATO presence on the eastern flank would be increased. He was also certain that there would be recommendations as to how and in what situations NATO battalions would be upgraded to the level of brigades.
