UK and Poland Sign Warsaw Defence Plan to Deter Russia

WARSAW — Britain and Poland signed a new defence agreement on Tuesday designed to deter Russian threats, with the two countries set to work together on air defence missiles, drones and cyber security, the British government said in a statement.

The agreement, called the Warsaw Defence Plan, covers work across sea, land, air, cyber and industry. According to the statement from the UK government, it sets out the first phase of defence cooperation under the new UK-Poland Security and Defence Partnership Treaty.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting met his Polish counterpart, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, in Warsaw on Tuesday. “Poland is one of the UK’s closest allies – from flying together in the Battle of Britain, to breaking the Enigma code, they have been a vital partner for our defence for nearly a century,” Streeting said.

Under the plan, the two countries will collaborate on making and developing the next generation of air defence missiles. They will also co-develop drone and counter-drone technology, which the statement said is meant to deter threats to civilians and critical national infrastructure as Russia steps up its campaign of drone incursions across the UK and Europe.

Cyber security cooperation will increase as well, the statement said, to help both countries defend military and civilian sites from hostile threats. The two navies will step up activity in the Baltic Sea through exercises and regional coordination, and the countries will share lessons from their frigate programmes, Britain’s Type 31 and Poland’s Miecznik, which share a common design.

British and Polish defence firms will work more closely under the agreement. BAE Systems and Poland’s PGZ will expand large-calibre ammunition production, and the statement said procurement coordination will build on major deals such as Poland’s purchase of its Narew air defence system from MBDA UK.

At a joint press conference in Warsaw, Kosiniak-Kamysz said both countries support strengthening the transatlantic alliance and backed stronger European defence capabilities, but not at the expense of ties with Washington, according to Reuters. “There is no alternative to transatlantic cooperation. Any other solution is simply worse, it is bad,” he said.

Kosiniak-Kamysz also said Poland would seek to ensure that Britain could benefit from the European Union’s SAFE defence financing programme, and that Poland will strive to “bring the United Kingdom closer to the European Union,” Reuters reported.

Both countries will keep taking part in large-scale exercises such as Steadfast Defender, Polish Dragon and Joint Warrior, the British statement said, with a focus on counter-drone warfare, electronic warfare and missile defence.

Next month, the UK and Poland are planning a major Coalition of the Willing exercise in Poland involving thousands of personnel, according to the statement. The exercise is meant to ensure the Multinational Force Ukraine is ready to support the military training and post-war rebuilding that Ukraine will need.