US Open to Permanent Military Base in Poland

The United States is open to establishing a permanent military presence in Poland, according to Warsaw. Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz made the statement following a meeting with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Brussels.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Warsaw has been pushing for a stronger allied presence on NATO's eastern flank. Kosiniak-Kamysz said he discussed collective defense and cooperation with Hegseth and that the United States had responded positively to Poland's proposal for a permanent US military base on its soil.

The minister stressed, however, that no decision has yet been made. US troops have so far been stationed in Poland on a rotational basis.

On Thursday, Hegseth announced a new review of the deployment of US forces in Europe and warned that the United States may withhold part of its contributions to NATO if certain allies fail to meet their defense spending commitments.

(Reuters, Lud)