An agreement on the formation of a Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian battalion could be signed by the governments of the three countries in the second quarter of this year, Poland's National Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak has said.
“We expect, that if everything goes smoothly, the signing [of the
agreement] will take place in the second quarter of this year,” the
Polish defense minister said at a meeting of the Interparliamentary
Assembly of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Seimas of Lithuania, the
Sejm and Senate of Poland in Warsaw on Tuesday.
He said the draft agreement was ready and will soon be agreed within the governments of the three countries.
“We expect that the training of brigades may begin in fall,” Siemoniak said.
According to him, the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian battalion will be
able to participate in international peacekeeping operations under the
mandate approved by the UN Security Council.
Polish Senate Marshal Bogdan Borusewicz said that in a couple of
years the battalion would already begin its work. “I believe that very
soon – in two or three years – this unit could already start real
action,” he said.
