WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland and France will sign a treaty on Friday in which they will commit to helping each other in the event of a military threat, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
The treaty will be signed amid security concerns in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which borders Poland, and amid European doubts about U.S. President Donald Trump’s long-term commitment to the continent’s security.
The treaty, which the two countries will sign in the French city of Nancy, covers topics including defence, energy, nuclear, and transport matters.
“The provision that we have in the treaty is…that in the event of a threat of attacks on Poland and France, both countries commit to provide assistance, including military assistance,” Tusk told reporters before leaving for France.
“From my experience, the provisions of the treaty are groundbreaking from the point of view of our safety.”
Tusk said the new treaty opens up opportunities for cooperation on a potential extension of the French nuclear umbrella to cover Poland.
Tusk said the Polish-French agreement was not an “alternative” to Poland’s relations with the United States.
“We need both America and a strong European Union, also in terms of military,” he said.
Tusk also said the two countries would undertake joint initiatives aimed at bringing peace to Ukraine, but gave no details.
(Reporting by Anna Koper and Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Timothy Heritage)
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