![[ rfe/rl banner ]](rferl-article2.gif)
Poland Urges NATO To Bolster Its Forces On 'Eastern Flank'
February 24, 2022
The Polish government urged NATO to bolster its forces in the East after Russian forces rocked Ukrainian cities early on February 24 in missile attacks aimed at airports and military infrastructure.
"Now is the time to reinforce NATO's eastern flank. We expect such decisions to be taken," government spokesman Piotr Muller said on February 24.
Muller added that Polish diplomatic missions in Ukraine would remain open "as long as possible."
NATO began sending additional troops to its eastern flank following Russia's previous invasion of Ukraine in 2014, when it seized the Crimea region.
Moscow has since supported separatists in eastern Ukraine in a bloody war against the Kyiv government.
Prior to the attack on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin this week announced he was recognizing two separatist areas as independent states, a move condemned by the West and the UN.
On February 11, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the deployment of an additional 3,000 U.S. soldiers to NATO ally Poland.
A Pentagon statement said the troops would join some 1,700 soldiers who arrived in Poland at the start of the month.
"All told, these 5,000 additional personnel comprise a highly mobile and flexible force, capable of multiple missions. They are being deployed to reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO's eastern flank, train with host-nation forces, and contribute to a wide range of contingencies," the Pentagon statement said.
Based on reporting by Reuters
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/poland-nato- forces-russia-ukraine/31720020.html
Copyright (c) 2022. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
