British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Monday that the United Kingdom will send 350 soldiers to Poland in the near future.
Wallace, who spoke with Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak in London during the day, said at a joint news conference on Monday night that the decision aims to send a strong message that the UK and Poland are ready to work together and in proximity to each other in the current situation.
Britain’s defense minister said that if Russia made the “dumb mistake” of military action against sovereign Ukraine, it could face harsh sanctions and isolation, and that NATO would increase its presence in the region.
By invading Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin will achieve exactly what he wants to avoid.
Wallace added. He stressed that when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, it also led to an “increased presence” of advanced NATO units in Poland, Estonia and Latvia. But he added that no one is seeking to dominate Russia or divide Russia.
The British Defense Minister stressed that
NATO is not an offensive but a defensive organization.
Marius Blaschak thanked the British government for its military assistance at the press conference. According to the Polish Defense Minister, in addition to the Russian military march along the Ukrainian border, Poland is also facing threats from Belarus.
Referring to the migration crisis at the Polish-Belarus border in previous months, Blaschak said:
Poland was subjected to mixed attacks from Belarus, in this case the British military unit provides real assistance to the Polish army.
The Polish Defense Minister added, “It is a historical experience that only a firm deterrence policy can prevent any possible Russian aggression, and it can be said from the same historical experience that reconciliation encourages the potential enemy to take measures.”
(Highlight: Ben Wallace and Marius Blaschak at a joint press conference in London on February 7, 2022. Photo: Tolga Akmen
