Poland continues to insist on a stronger and more permanent US military presence on its territory amid the war in Ukraine and tensions on NATO's eastern flank.
President Karol Nawrocki said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly that he expects the United States to finally approve plans to establish a permanent US military base in Poland. According to him, if the project is implemented, it should be named “Fort Trump“.
Nawrocki expressed hope that the base will be completed before the end of US President Donald Trump's term in 2029. According to the Polish president, administrative and financial issues remain that need to be resolved.
Currently, about 10,000 US military personnel are stationed in Poland on a rotational basis. Warsaw has expressed its readiness to accept some of the US forces that may eventually be withdrawn from Germany.
Warsaw increases defense spending
Poland is among the NATO countries that allocate the largest share of their resources to defense. Following the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the country has accelerated its rearmament and expansion programs for its armed forces.
Warsaw views the US military presence as an important element of deterrence and security on the Alliance's eastern flank.
Nawrocki said that Poland is at the "epicenter" of hybrid warfare and that Russian actions and provocations are linked to NATO's resilience. These assessments are part of the Polish leadership's arguments for maintaining and expanding the US military presence in the country.
Sikorski: Poland must be ready
Against this backdrop, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski also spoke about the need to prepare the population for possible emergencies.
In an interview with the Polish publication Fakt, he said that he had checked where the shelters were located and had prepared stocks of rice and homemade jam. Sikorski said that citizens should know the basic rules for action in emergency situations.
According to him, no one can know if and when a direct military conflict would arise between Russia and a NATO country. He stressed that NATO is a defensive alliance and that Poland does not want such a conflict, but must have the necessary deterrence readiness.
Sikorski has already provoked a reaction in Moscow with his statements that in the event of a Russian attack on Poland, NATO would have significant air superiority.
Zakharova attacks Sikorski
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reacted sharply to the Polish foreign minister's statements.
In a series of comments, she accused Sikorski of anti-Russian rhetoric and recommended that he take neuroleptics after the Polish minister spoke publicly about preparing for a possible war.
Zakharova's remark is a political attack on Sikorski and is not a medical assessment. Russian officials have repeatedly criticized Polish statements in recent weeks about the need to strengthen defense and NATO's presence in the region.
Tensions between Warsaw and Moscow remain high
Relations between Poland and Russia are among the most tense in Europe since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
Warsaw is one of Kiev's most active supporters and insists on a strong eastern flank for NATO. Moscow, for its part, defines the expansion of the Alliance's military infrastructure near the Russian borders as a threat to its own security.
Against this background, the idea of a permanent US base in Poland is important not only for bilateral relations between Warsaw and Washington, but also for the overall security architecture in Eastern Europe.
Whether the project will be implemented in its final form depends on the decisions of the US administration and on the remaining financial and administrative issues. Meanwhile, the Polish government continues to place defense and the alliance with the United States among its top priorities.
Sources: Ukrainska Pravda, TASS