Czaputowicz has given NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg all the necessary information concerning the planned increase of American military presence in Poland. The minister has also assured that Poland will be informing its NATO partners about the entire process.
The minister’s visit to the NATO headquarters in Brussels is a result of the Declaration of Strategic Partnership signed by Presidents Donald Trump and Andrzej Duda in September. This agreement foresees a potential increase of American military presence in Poland.
Concerns in Europe
The so called “Fort Trump” plans have provoked unease in European capitals such as Paris, Rome and Berlin. They do not want to provoke Moscow, whereas the Baltic States fear the negative consequences from Russia’s side in response to the strengthening of US military presence in Poland.
Czaputowicz argued, that: “American soldiers are already stationed in Poland. We would like for there to be more of them in the future. We are discussing the topic and the idea for that presence to be stronger.”
During the debate on the deployment of NATO forces on the Eastern flank of the Alliance, there have been doubts concerning the NATO-Russian declaration of 1997. Back then, NATO agreed not to deploy allied forces in the territory of new member-states. In the wake of Crimea annexation Czaputowicz explained that one cannot break an agreement that has already been broken.
