Poland’s defence minister has said the country is counting on a greater US military presence, regardless of developments in the Middle East.
Poland’s Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz speaks at an event in Warsaw.Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita that ongoing talks with Washington about reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank remained on track, and should not be seen as linked to the Iran conflict.
„The Middle East is not standing in our way,” he said.
Asked about reports in The Wall Street Journal suggesting possible US troop redeployments in Europe, the minister said he was taking the situation calmly, adding that the process of seeking greater American presence in Poland had been in the works for well over a year.
On the risk of the US withdrawing from NATO under President Donald Trump, Kosiniak-Kamysz struck a measured tone, warning against overstating the threat while acknowledging strains on the alliance.
„There is no NATO without the US, but there is also no American military power without NATO,” he said.
The minister also addressed domestic defence financing, saying the EU’s SAFE loan programme was already benefiting Polish arms contracts, with some projects simply set to switch their funding source once European support is confirmed.
He expressed confidence that a separate Polish parliamentary bill – the so-called 'SAFE 0%’ proposal backed by his party, the PSL grouping – would be signed into law, saying it would be hard for President Karol Nawrocki to reject a measure closely resembling his own earlier initiative.
(ał)
Source: rp.pl, PAP
Radio Poland