Poland's Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak spoke over the phone on Friday (August 4) with U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III. According to Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Austin underscored U.S. support for Poland's response to the violation of Polish airspace by Belarusian helicopters. "Our commitments and obligations as members of the Alliance are clear – we jointly take care of our security. We are Allies," Błaszczak said on Twitter.
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder informed on Friday that, during the phone call with Polish MOD chief Mariusz Błaszczak, secretary Austin "emphasized U.S. support for Poland’s response to the August 1 incursion into Polish airspace by Belarusian aircraft".
"The leaders also discussed the Wagner Group’s new presence in Belarus and mutually committed to continue monitoring the situation closely."
Furthermore, the spokesman informed that "secretary Austin thanked the Minister for Poland’s significant efforts to support Ukraine, and the leaders reaffirmed the importance of continued, robust security assistance to Ukrainian people".
Błaszczak: our commitments and obligations are clear
Minister Błaszczak also informed about the discussion with the Pentagon chief.
"We discussed issues related to the security of and NATO’s Eastern Flank in a context of recent hybrid attacks on. Our commitments and obligations as members of the Alliance are clear – we jointly take care of our security. We are Allies," the Polish defence minister wrote.
Belarusian helicopters at Polish border
Poland said on Tuesday it was rushing troops to its eastern border after accusing Belarus, Russia's closest ally, of violating its airspace with military helicopters. The aircraft had been spotted in the morning hours by local residents near the border town of Białowieża. The Polish military initially denied such an incident had taken place.
Only in the evening that day, the defence ministry confimed in a statement that Polish airspace had been violated.
Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday issued a statement regarding the incident.
"On 4 August, the Polish Embassy in Minsk provided the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus with detailed information that irrefutably confirms the fact that on 1 August 2023 two Belarusian military helicopters violated Polish airspace," the MFA wrote.
"The presented data contradict the position of the Republic of Belarus as expressed in the official statements from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence," it added.
"We call on the Belarusian side to urgently look into the incident, review its position on this matter, and cease all provocations at the Polish-Belarusian border."
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, tvn24.pl, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Keith J Finks/Shutterstock