Poland monitoring maritime situation, navy on alert says president

The situation in the maritime domain around Europe is under constant observation and the Polish navy is in a state of readiness, the country's president, Andrzej Duda, said on Friday.

Poland has been concerned about the ongoing Baltic Sea manoeuvres of the Russian navy, which started on Wednesday. According to a Russian defence ministry statement, over 30 ships and boats along with 20 support vessels and 30 aircraft are involved in the drills as well as 6,000 navy servicemen.

Speaking in the port city of Gdynia, Duda said that while visiting the frigate Gen. K. Pulaski he had been shown "not only the situation in the area of the Baltic Sea but also in the whole maritime and oceanic domain around Europe, including in the Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea and around Norway and the British Isles."

"The situation is being monitored the whole time, allied units are active, our Navy is in an appropriate state of readiness," Duda said. "At the moment, the service of our navy is ongoing, observation is going on all the time, carried out also by units conducting operations at sea."

Duda added that through such monitoring actions, security in the Baltic was being safeguarded by the Polish Navy with support from allied assets including an Italian Navy vessel.

"However, in terms of allied support, there are also US Army vessels present, naval forces of the USA in the Baltic Sea basin," Duda continued. "So these actions are being conducted here the whole time, security is being maintained, including by the Polish air force."