Rishi Sunak: Britain will deploy RAF Typhoon jets to help protect Polish skies

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greeted troops at a Polish military base on Tuesday (April 23) with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The visit, Tusk said on Monday, is part of Poland's plan to rebuild its security position in Europe.

Later that day, standing alongside Polish PM, Sunak told a press conference in Warsaw that Britain and Poland "are allies for the long term". He added that the British "will never forget that it was Polish pilots that gave their life to protect our country in the Battle of Britain".

"And today we’re proud to stand together as NATO allies, two of Europe’s biggest military powers, two of Ukraine’s firmest friends."

He then announced Britain "will be deploying RAF Typhoons (fighter jets) here as well, emphasizing how important we take this issue and we want to help police Poland's skies".

"Air defence is critical and the UK wants to support Poland and work closely with you to do that," he added.

"We're also deploying over 16,000 troops there as part of the NATO exercise Steadfast Defender. So I'm proud that the UK is a partner of Poland and remains at the heart of European security," British PM noted.

Sunak stressed that "Poland and the UK are part of a growing wave of countries that are taking greater responsibility for our collective security". "Poland is spending more of its GDP on defence than any NATO ally in Europe. And with today's announcement, the UK will be spending more in cash terms than any NATO ally in Europe."

Earlier on Tuesday, Sunak said he would increase Britain's defence spending to 2.5% of GDP to reach 87 billion pounds ($108 billion) a year by 2030, pledging to put the UK's defence industry "on a war footing".

"Today, we go further. We will send Ukraine an additional half a billion pounds, hitting 3 billion pounds of support this year. And we'll provide them with the largest ever package of UK military equipment," the head of British government added.

Tusk said that the "cooperation between Poland and Great Britain can be and will be, I am sure of that, an exemplary model also for other partners".

He mentioned that he discussed this issue with NATO Secretary General and that "there is no doubt that out of all the initiatives in which both our countries are active, the coordinated security politics covering the whole continent and Great Britain has to be born immediately".

"And our common intention is to end the time of some kind of competition, rivalry among different initiatives on defending Europe and Great Britain."

Tusk's pro-European government, in power since December, has vowed to improved Poland's position in the European Union and relations with Western governments after eight years of nationalist rule.