The Polish Air Force will start a mission to police airspace over the eastern flank of NATO, the country’s deputy defence minister has confirmed.

“Poles will be air policing over the Balkans, in Bulgaria and Romania,” said Tomasz Szatkowski, Poland’s deputy defence minister.

“It’s a foregone conclusion, now we are simply wrapping up the details,” Szatkowski added.

He said that taking part in the mission is a way of showing that Poland not only aims to protect its own security but also that of its NATO partners.