LONDON (AP) – Britain has promised Poland strong business, diplomatic and cultural ties – as well as a deployment of troops near the Russian border – as London tries to build goodwill with European allies before European Union exit talks.
Prime Minister Theresa May had warm words for Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo after the pair met at 10 Downing St. on Monday. But she didn’t offer an outright guarantee that almost 1 million Poles living in Britain will be able to stay once the U.K. has left the 28-nation bloc.
May reiterated her intention to give Poles and other EU nationals the right to remain – as long as Britons in other EU nations get the same guarantee.
“I hope we can reach an early agreement on this issue,” May told reporters.
Poland is considered one of Britain’s strongest allies in the EU, and May said before Monday’s meeting that she hoped Brexit would “serve as a catalyst to strengthen” the relationship.