Poland backs increased Nato presence in country

Poland will support increased Nato presence in the country, in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to Mariusz Blaszczak, defence minister.

In an interview with the Polska The Times newspaper, Blaszczak said the upcoming Nato summit in Madrid will have a special significance because Russian aggression against Ukraine has permanently changed the global security system. Blaszczak, whose position on Poland's political scene has strengthened with a recent promotion to a deputy prime minister, said the conflict in Ukraine should convince skeptics to reconsider their position.

The 2016 PAP summit in Warsaw led to the establishment of battalion battle groups in Poland and the region with participation of allied forces and now we're advocating for decisions to be made in Madrid that would lead to a further increase of their potential as an element of deterrence and defence of Nato's eastern flank, the defence minister said.

Poland has been advocating for more Nato troops in the region and increasing readiness of the forces in case of danger.

He said that we are advocating for the deployment of a brigade group in Poland within Nato structures.

Poland has been stepping up its defence potential despite Nato decisions and recent declarations to increase the number of professional soldiers to 250,000 from the current number of just over 110,000.

Poland passed a law that will increase defence spending as a share of the country's GDP to 3 percent from the Nato-recommended 2 percent level.

On June 28 - 30, Nato will hold a summit in Madrid.