Poland stands ready to defend its NATO partners at any time, President Andrzej Duda said on Tuesday, as he observed part of the alliance’s biggest exercises since the Cold War.
With around 90,000 troops taking part, the Steadfast Defender exercises mark a show of strength from NATO as countries on its eastern flank boost their defense spending in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Polish leg of the exercises, called Dragon 24, sees troops crossing the Vistula River before traveling around 300 km to the Suwalki gap, a strip of land nestled between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus.
“These are our joint exercises that strengthen the security of NATO’s entire eastern flank. Poland is ready to implement our obligations arising from collective defense at any time, it is determined,” Duda said during a joint speech with the president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda.
Duda said the exercise showed the readiness to defend the territory of NATO, including Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic states.
“Lithuania can count on us that if there was such a need, Polish soldiers would stand shoulder to shoulder with Lithuanian forces to protect every inch of land from an enemy attack,” he said.
Next week, President Duda and PM Donald Tusk will go to Washington to mark the 25 anniversary of Poland joining NATO, and discuss the situation in Ukraine, during a meeting with President Joe Biden.
The Polish leg of the exercises, called Dragon 24, sees troops crossing the Vistula River before traveling around 300 km to the Suwalki gap, a strip of land nestled between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus.
“These are our joint exercises that strengthen the security of NATO’s entire eastern flank. Poland is ready to implement our obligations arising from collective defense at any time, it is determined,” Duda said during a joint speech with the president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda.
Duda said the exercise showed the readiness to defend the territory of NATO, including Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic states.
“Lithuania can count on us that if there was such a need, Polish soldiers would stand shoulder to shoulder with Lithuanian forces to protect every inch of land from an enemy attack,” he said.
Next week, President Duda and PM Donald Tusk will go to Washington to mark the 25 anniversary of Poland joining NATO, and discuss the situation in Ukraine, during a meeting with President Joe Biden.
Source: Reuters
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