Romania to send 120 air defence troops to Poland

BUCHAREST, Romania – Romania’s president says the country will send 120 air defence troops to support NATO’s presence in Poland amid unease about Russia’s interventions in Ukraine.

Speaking after a meeting of the country’s top defence council, President Klaus Iohannis said Tuesday said the troops would be deployed for six months to boost security and assist Polish troops in crisis and conflict situations. The measure was agreed upon at the NATO summit in Warsaw last year and is part of Operation Atlantic Resolve to reassure allies after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

The Romanian troops are from the 205th Air Defence Battalion from the southern city of Craiova.

They will be part of a US-led NATO multinational brigade in Poland.