Shoigu In Minsk: We Will Respond To Deployment Of US Division In Poland

A meeting of the joint Collegium of the military departments of Russia and Belarus is held in Minsk.

The plans of the Polish government to place a division of the US Armed Forces on their territory on a permanent basis do not contribute to strengthening regional security and force them to take retaliatory measures, Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday during the joint meeting of the Russian and Belarusian military departments, TASS reports.

“The plans of the Polish government to place on their permanent basis a division of the US Armed Forces on their territory are counterproductive and not conducive to maintaining stability and strengthening regional security,” said Shoigu.

“Under these conditions, we are forced to take retaliatory measures and must be ready to neutralize possible military threats in all directions,” he continued.

Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu is in Belarus with a working visit today, on October 24. Minsk hosts a meeting of the joint Collegium of the military departments of Russia and Belarus, dedicated to joint actions to maintain stability and security in the region.

Also, its participants will discuss the implementation of the action area plan of the Ministries of Defense of the two states, including the preparation and conduct of a joint operational exercise "Shield of the Union- 2019".

Earlier, Warsaw offered Washington to set up a permanent American base in Poland. In this regard, the Polish side proposes to invest USD 1.5-2 billion in the project of deploying a US armored division in the country. The American armored division, stationed in the country, must restrain Russia's aggression. The neighborhoods of Bydgoszcz and Torun are called possible locations for the deployment of armored units.