Theresa May to pledge renewed defence partnership with Poland
1 min read
Theresa May will today set out plans for the UK and Poland to work more closely together on defence and security.
In a speech in Warsaw the Prime Minister will praise the historic ties between the two nations and propose a new defence treaty to cement cooperation in the future.
She will tell her Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki that the relationship will still "matter greatly" to the UK after Brexit, and say a new treaty would be a "powerful symbol".
At the bilateral summit in the Polish capital the Prime Minister will also announce a £5m joint plan to tackle Russian propaganda in the region.
The initiative will be run from the Foreign Office and will attempt to detect “disinformation” coming from Moscow.
Speaking at the summit, Mrs May is expected to say: "Poland matters greatly to the UK.
"Our partnership is broad, vibrant and diverse and we both share a steadfast commitment to Europe's security and defence.
"I am determined that Brexit will not weaken our relationship with Poland. Rather, it will serve as a catalyst to strengthen it."
The treaty will be just the second bilateral defence agreement the UK has ever had with a European country, after France.
It will seek to enhance co-operation on military training, information sharing, defence procurement and joint exercises between the Nato partners.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe