Germany has pledged to support its NATO ally Poland in defending its eastern flank in the event of a possible attack by Wagner Group fighter jets in neighboring Belarus.
During a press conference in Prague on Friday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius responded to a question about whether Germany was concerned about the presence of the Wagner group in Belarus and the prospect of an attack along the border with Poland.
“We are all together, always in the closest coordination, not only when we meet physically at the level of defense ministers, but also outside of it. Where our Polish friends need support, if the worst happens they will get it,” Pistorius replied.
Wagner fighters arrived in Belarus after a short-lived rebellion by the private military company last month. On Wednesday, Wagner's boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was apparently seen in a video greeting his troops in the country. The Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that its forces would hold joint military exercises with fighters near the Polish border.
Poland's national news agency PAP reported on Friday that Poland will move its military formations from the west to the east of the country, citing the head of Poland's security committee Zbigniew Hoffmann.
Hoffmann said the decision was taken by National Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak after the security committee analyzed "possible threats posed by the presence of the Wagner Group in Belarus", the agency reported.
Pistorius added on Friday that he could "say with confidence" that the two NATO allies are "prepared" if an attack were to occur.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also made a series of baseless allegations on Friday, accusing Poland of harboring plans to "directly intervene" in the war and "wrest away" parts of Ukraine for itself, also claiming that Warsaw has aspirations to annex parts of Belarus.
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