From BBC News

The UK is to send 150 troops to Poland to help “deter Russian aggression” in Europe, Theresa May has said as she held talks with her Polish counterpart.

The troops will be deployed in April close to the Polish border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

The PM said mutual defence and security links would develop despite Brexit.

Beata Szydlo said Polish citizens in the UK needed certainty about their future after Brexit but understood any guarantees had to be reciprocal.

While the Brexit process would be “interesting”, she told reporters she hoped negotiations would yield positive results for both the UK and the EU.

“As for reciprocity in terms of the rights and privileges, they have to be negotiated and there needs to be the right balance,” she said. “This is the condition that will certainly be brought up by Poland.”

At a press conference in Downing Street following the first-ever UK-Polish summit, Mrs May said she wanted an “early” resolution to talks over the future legal status of EU nationals living in the UK, including more than 900,000 Poles, once the UK exits.

But she said any agreement depended on Britons living elsewhere in Europe retaining equivalent rights.

During the visit to London, Mrs May and Ms Szydlo discussed Brexit and defence co-operation over a working lunch, while senior ministers, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Chancellor Philip Hammond, met their counterparts at Lancaster House.

The leaders and ministers then held formal talks in the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street on issues ranging from trade and scientific co-operation to concerns about Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine and Syria.

‘Shared history’

Mrs May said she was determined that Brexit would not stand in the way of stronger economic and cultural ties between the two countries, announcing a series of joint initiatives on enterprise, innovation and cyber security and the ambition of a first-ever bilateral defence treaty between the two nations.

Mrs May provided more details of the deployment next Spring of around 150 troops from the Light Dragoons, along with a number of armoured vehicles, to Orzysz in north-east Poland, close to the border with Kaliningrad, which houses Russia’s Baltic fleet.

The move, she said, was a response to Russian aggression on the “eastern flank of Europe”.

Mrs May said: “Our ties with Poland are rooted deeply in our shared history. We will never forget the Polish pilots who braved the skies alongside us during World War Two, standing up for freedom and democracy in Europe, nor the valuable contribution made by so many Poles in our country today.

“I am determined that Brexit will not weaken our relationship with Poland – rather it will serve as a catalyst to strengthen it.”

Mrs May added that the summit “marks the start of a new chapter in our relations and we will work even more closely together to ensure the security and prosperity of our nations in the years ahead”.

“Today’s meeting puts beyond doubt the common ground we share, the importance we attach to our bilateral relationship and the benefits it brings. We share a clear commitment to take our co-operation to the next level and to firmly establish the UK and Poland as resolute and strategic allies in Europe.”

‘Down-to-earth’

Mrs May has promised to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which starts the legal process for Brexit, by the end of March.

Formal negotiations cannot begin until then, but the UK prime minister is holding informal discussions with other EU leaders to find out their views.

In the Daily Telegraph, Ms Szydlo wrote: “Warsaw will certainly be one of the capitals which will participate in Brexit negotiations in a constructive and down-to-earth manner.”

She added: “We hope, as I believe the rest of the EU hopes, that Britain’s new relationship with the EU will be as close as possible, and based on the principles of proportionality and balance of rights and obligations.

“Whether we manage to complete this arduous task of bringing negotiations to a satisfying result will depend solely on our imagination and leadership. We need a good compromise which gives both our countries the best possible options for economic and security co-operation.

“Poland will be a constructive partner in this process, as we have been in the past – but the initiative for determining British ambitions and expectations as to the future level of co-operation with the EU has to come from London.”

Mrs May has said she wants to guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK. including the more than 900,000 Poles living in the country, but will not do so unless she receives reciprocal assurances from her EU counterparts.

Warsaw has raised concerns about the abuse of Poles in the UK following the Brexit referendum, with a rise in incidents of alleged hate crimes.

IMAGES:

The two leaders are discussing defence and post-Brexit relations – EPA

While senior ministers from both countries held roundtable talks – GETTY

The UK’s historical, cultural and economic ties with Poland are being emphasised – AP

For more on this story go to: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-38129171