US, Germany and Poland may hold joint maneuvers

Authored by kyivindependent.com and submitted by KI_official

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius speaks to KSK Navy Special Forces on board the frigate Hessen during his inaugural visit to the German Navy on Feb. 21, 2023, at Eckernfoerde, Germany. (Morris MacMatzen via Getty Images)

Washington is negotiating with Berlin and Warsaw on conducting joint military exercises in Poland in response to the Russian threat to NATO's eastern border, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on television on Feb. 27.

The minister didn't provide details on the maneuvers, saying they are currently "under review."

According to Pistorius, cited by Deutsche Welle, military drills in a country bordering Ukraine would send a "very clear" signal to NATO allies, as well as to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

NATO is "far from being as weak as Putin has long believed," Pistorius said, insisting that the alliance is "much stronger and more cohesive than last year" before the start of Russia's all-out war against Ukraine in February 2022.

"For Eastern European countries such as Poland, the Baltics, Slovakia, and others, it is important to see that Germany, as the prominent European member of the alliance, and the U.S., as a transatlantic partner, are fulfilling their defense obligations," the German defense minister added.

Pistorius' statement comes amid joint naval exercises that Russia, China, and South Africa launched just ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it was "deeply concerned" about the drills and urged South Africa "not to encourage Russia's further aggression."

old_faraon on February 27th, 2023 at 18:52 UTC »

This is not exactly news, Poland has the largest military training grounds in European NATO, the largest joint exercises have been happening here for years. It might be a bit of news if this one is even larger the the last one (which was the largest NATO exercise since the 80's I think) but even then the Russian yearly exercises (Zapad, Vostok, Kavkaz and Tsentr) are larger.

ARCtheIsmaster on February 27th, 2023 at 16:44 UTC »

The US, Germany, and Poland have been conducting joint-maneuver exercises for decades—that’s what you do when you’re in a military alliance…

KI_official on February 27th, 2023 at 13:56 UTC »

Submission Statement:

Washington is negotiating with Berlin and Warsaw on conducting joint military exercises in Poland in response to the Russian threat to NATO's eastern border, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on television on Feb. 27. The minister didn't provide details on the maneuvers, saying they are currently "under review."