Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine form joint brigade
Warsaw (AFP) - Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine on Friday signed an agreement to form a joint brigade intended to modernise the Ukrainian army confronting pro-Kremlin separatists in the country's east.
"This shows our deep commitment to boosting the security and defence capabilities of our region, where the situation has become dangerous," Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said after defence ministers from the three countries inked the accord in Warsaw.
The so-called Litpolukrbrig brigade of several thousand troops has been in the works since 2007, but the signing of the agreement comes at a time of anxiety among Eastern European states once controlled by Moscow.
Poland and the three Baltic states, which include Lithuania, have been on edge since Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in March and are keeping a wary eye on its role in the conflict there.
In response, the NATO defence alliance -- which includes the Baltics and Poland -- announced a new rapid reaction force at a summit in Wales earlier this month.
The new three-country military unit, which will mainly take part in peacekeeping operations, could launch its first exercises a year from now, Komorowski said.
It will be headquartered in Poland's eastern city of Lublin and foster trading of expertise between the three countries, of which only Lithuania and Poland are members of NATO.
It will "bring Ukraine's army closer to those of the Western world," Komorowski said.
