New battle group ready in 2015?
PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp
28.12.2014 13:15
Poland’s Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak has mooted that technical preparations for a joint Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian battle group may be ready in early 2015.
Ukrainian soldier with his gift after volunteer's presented gifts near of eastern city of Schastye, Luhansk area, Ukraine, 27 December 2014. Photo: PAP/EPA/SERGEI KOZLOV
The announcement comes after a phone call between Siemoniak and his Ukrainian counterpart Stepan Poltorak, Saturday, on Kiev’s decision to resign from being a neutral country and the continuing situation in Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Last week, Siemoniak also spoke with Lithuania’s defence minister, Juozas Olekas, over tightening cooperation and Vilnius’s readiness to set up the group, which is set to be based in Lublin, south-east Poland.
Currently preparations are being made as to the formation of the group, and with the decision to speed up progress, “we hope that a technical understanding will be made in the first months of next year,” Siemoniak stated.
Speaking on Ukraine’s decision to move closer towards NATO, Siemoniak said that he “assured minister Poltorak that Poland will support Ukraine’s partnership with NATO”. (jb)
Source: PAP