Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania have agreed to launch a joint military force which is expected to hold its first drill next year.
The defense ministers of the three states signed the agreement in
Warsaw on Friday, in the presence of Polish President Bronislaw
Komorowski.
Polish defense officials told Reuters that LITPOLUKRBRIG
(Lithuanian–Polish–Ukrainian Brigade)
could take part in peacekeeping operations or, if necessary, form
the basis of a NATO battle group in the region.
Lithuania and Poland are NATO members, while Ukraine’s recent
appeal for a special status outside the bloc was turned down by
US president Barack Obama.
“I hope that it will be possible to hold the first
[LITPOLUKRBRIG] exercises in one year," Komorowski said,
adding that the creation of the unit “is part of a wider
plan...to support Ukraine, among others, in the area of
modernization.”
The Polish president stressed that the deal signing proves the
trio's commitment to security in the region.
He also expressed regret that LITPOLUKRBRIG wasn’t formed
earlier, and that the sides will now have to make up for lost
time.
The newly formed brigade will have its headquarters in the
eastern Polish city of Lublin, situated not far from the
country’s border with Ukraine.
The size of the unit is yet to be determined, according to Polish
Defense Ministry spokeswoman Anna Klissaid.
However, Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported that 545 Ukrainian
troops, 3000-3800 Polish servicemen, and 150-350 soldiers from
Lithuania will form the brigade.
According to Polish TVN21 channel, the subunits forming the
brigade will remain at their usual dislocation points in
Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, and will only get together for
exercises and military missions.
The idea to create LITPOLUKRBRIG was generated in 2007, when
Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine decided to establish a joint
battalion.
A year later, those plans were adjusted to a more ambitious
project of putting together an entire brigade uniting Ukrainian,
Lithuanian, and Polish troops.
The three states have been on high alert following Russia’s
reunion with the Republic of Crimea in March and the start of
Kiev’s military operation against Ukraine’s southeastern regions,
which demanded federalization of the country.
Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania blame Russia for masterminding the
unrest and providing anti-Kiev rebels with weapons and troops.
However, no convincing proof has been provided to back the
claims, which have been repeatedly denied by Moscow.