Poland And UK Sign Three-Year Warsaw Defence Plan To Strengthen NATO’s Eastern Flank Against Russia

Poland and the United Kingdom have signed a three-year defence cooperation plan in Warsaw, deepening military ties between two of NATO’s most active members as both governments warn of mounting Russian pressure on Europe’s eastern flank.

The agreement, known as the Warsaw Defence Plan, was concluded on 27 October 2026 during a visit to the Polish capital by British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, who met Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Officials in both countries described it as the first phase of practical cooperation under the wider UK–Poland Security and Defence Partnership Treaty, a broader pact the two governments reached earlier in 2026.

Britain and Poland cast the plan as a direct answer to Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine and to a series of drone incursions that London characterised as state-sponsored “hybrid” attacks. Streeting said the deal reflected a shared assessment of the threat, adding that “in the clash between freedom and tyranny, the UK and Poland will not stand aside.” He described Russia’s hybrid operations against Poland as “terrorism sponsored by a state” and pointed to the near-daily mobilisation of Polish forces and air defences against drones.

Under the plan, the two countries will coordinate across sea, land, air, cyber and defence industry. Priority areas include the joint development and manufacture of next-generation air-defence missiles, the co-development of drone and counter-drone systems to protect civilians and critical infrastructure, and stronger cyber security for both military and civilian sites. The United Kingdom and Poland also agreed to share lessons from their frigate programmes — Britain’s Type 31 and Poland’s Miecznik, which are based on a common design — and to expand activity in the Baltic Sea through joint exercises and regional coordination.

Industrial cooperation forms a central pillar of the deal. The plan builds on Poland’s purchase of the Narew air-defence system from Britain’s MBDA UK and envisions expanded large-calibre ammunition production involving BAE Systems and Poland’s state defence group PGZ, including a dedicated 155 mm ammunition line. Kosiniak-Kamysz said the package also covers artificial intelligence, modern deterrence measures and Poland’s layered air-defence programmes — Narew, Pilica and Pilica+ — as well as the Miecznik frigate project, which he said was progressing on schedule.

Both ministers stressed that the arrangement is meant to reinforce, not replace, existing alliances. They said their governments remain fully united in supporting Ukraine, and Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that while Warsaw and London back a stronger European defence capability, neither seeks full independence from the United States. Streeting called Poland “one of the UK’s closest allies” and said the plan supports a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO.

The two sides also flagged a large multinational exercise in Poland next month, drawing thousands of personnel and intended in part to prepare a Multinational Force Ukraine for training and post-war reconstruction tasks. The Warsaw Defence Plan runs for three years and is expected to be followed by further phases of cooperation under the partnership treaty.

Source: Euronews