The U.K. will deploy a further 350 troops to Poland to show further solidarity with NATO allies, the country’s Defense Minister Ben Wallace announced on Monday.
Wallace was speaking following a meeting in London with his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Błaszczak, in which the situation in Ukraine and the desire for further Polish-U.K. military cooperation was at the top of the agenda.
“When Belarus recently cynically used people to destabilize the situation in its neighboring countries, it used illegal migration and forced people to cross the border,” Wallace told reporters.
“The United Kingdom stood hand in hand with Poland and sent 100 sappers to support Poland in opposing the use of migrants as a tool,” he added.
Wallace announced that in the spirit of solidarity, the U.K. will send an additional 350 soldiers to support Poland, adding that their relocation will take place as part of bilateral cooperation to show that Poland and the U.K. can work together and that they stand as one.
According to the British Ministry of Defence, Royal Marines from 45 Commando will work with Poland on “joint exercises, contingency planning and capacity building.”
Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak informed that they had also spoken about cooperation in terms of the arms industry and cybersecurity.
He emphasized that in the face of Russia’s aggressive policy towards Ukraine, “Poland and the United Kingdom are prepared to dissuade aggressive actions through a policy of deterrence.”
“Historical experiences point to one thing: only a decisive policy of deterrence will stop Russia’s aggressive stance. There have been many examples throughout history when a policy of submissiveness only encouraged the aggressor,” Błaszczak added.
