Poland seeking to bolster NATO’s presence in country amid fears of threats from Russia

Since the onset of Russia's unprovoked military invasion of neighbouring Ukraine at the directives of its leader, Vladimir Putin, the ensuing conflict has turned the western nations' support to the war-hit Kyiv mostly. Amidst an array of economic sanctions imposed on the Kremlin in the wake of the war, NATO has now announced that it is going to hold a summit in Madrid tomorrow, June 28, where the members are expected to discuss the future strategies and necessary actions that are to be taken to put a stoppage to the war in Ukraine. During the summit, Poland is likely to raise demand for a the alliance's heightened presence in the country. While speaking in an interview with Polska The Times daily, Poland's Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak asserted that the impending NATO summit in Madrid "will have a special significance because the Russian aggression against Ukraine permanently remodelled the global security system."

The defence minister further added, "The summit in Warsaw led to the establishment of battalion battle groups in Poland and the region with the 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 stated, reported Polish Press Agency. 

"I can confirm that we're advocating for the deployment of a bridge group in Poland with Nato structures," he further said. 

Apart from NATO's decisions, Poland separately has been bolstering its defence capabilities with a series of armaments purchases. Also, the Polish government has recently announced to increase the number of professional soldiers to 250,000 from the current number of just over 1,00,000. Furthermore, the Polish parliament has passed a law that will enhance the defense budget.

NATO Summit 2022: Leaders to decide on deploying massive troops to Russia

On the other hand, reports have emerged that NATO is likely to send its entire divisions to the eastern flank to stop the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as per the El Pais report. At the upcoming NATO summit that is scheduled to be held in Madrid and which will include an address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy, the military bloc will be deciding on whether to send troops to Russia’s doorstep. If reports are to be believed, NATO member nations are ready to turn Eastern Europe into a "fort" hosting thousands of soldiers and a large quantity of military equipment amid fear of a future attack by Kremlin troops.

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