UK PM Theresa May is to insist Brexit will strengthen the UK’s ties with Poland during a visit to Warsaw, where she will announce plans for enhanced defence co-operation.
After the UK leaves the EU, Poland will still “matter greatly” she is expected to say, citing shared history and values.
A proposed new defence treaty will be a “powerful symbol” of co-operation, the PM will tell her Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki.
The UK will also back an initiative to blunt Russian propaganda in the region.
The treaty will be only the second bilateral defence agreement the UK has with a European ally, after France.
It will provide a framework for enhanced co-operation in training, information sharing, defence procurement and joint exercises between the NATO partners.
At a bilateral summit in the Polish capital, May will vow that after the UK’s departure from the EU in March 2019, the “deep ties of friendship” between the countries will continue to flourish.
“I am determined that Brexit will not weaken our relationship with Poland. Rather, it will serve as a catalyst to strengthen it.”
Her visit comes hours after the EU announced disciplinary measures against Poland, accusing the country of undermining the independence of its judges.
