Dutch reject Polish NATO demand
Frans Timmermans, the Dutch foreign minister appears to have rejected out of hand a Polish demand for "two heavy brigades" to be stationed by NATO in Poland, at a meeting of alliance ministers in Brussels on Tuesday.
Poland's foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said yesterday he would be "happy" if "two heavy brigades" - the equivalent of around 10,000 troops - were stationed by NATO in Poland after the annexation of Crimea, as states bordering Russia push for a stronger presence by NATO in the region.
"Poland has been a member of NATO for 15 years now and so far the only permanent military institution that we have is a conference centre and a training facility," Sikorski said, adding that "all member states should have the same level of security".
But Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans is quoted by the UK's Daily Telegraph as saying: "No, we don't need any NATO troops on the border with Russia," suggesting that some alliance states do not want to provoke Russia by placing brigades and troop units close to its border. Poland has a long border with Ukraine and borders Russia through the
Kaliningrad enclave to the north of the country.
