John Kirby, the White House national security communications advisor, has assured that the U.S. is taking Putin’s threats seriously, writes Do Rceczy.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last week that the newly opened anti-missile base in Redzikov, Poland, “has been included in the list of priority targets for potential destruction” and that its opening contributes to an increased nuclear threat.
John Kirby responded to Zakharova’s words on Monday. “we’ve seen those comments, and, obviously, you know, you have to take those kinds of threats seriously, and we do. As reckless and irresponsible as they are, we obviously take it seriously,” he said.
He also said that U.S. President Joe Biden is “rock-solid” on this issue. He assured that America will do everything in its power to ensure the safety of American soldiers on the European continent.
“We take our Article Five commitments to our NATO Allies incredibly seriously. It’s rock-solid, and that’s not going to change,” he said.
On Nov. 13, a ceremonial opening of a military base took place in Redzikowo near Słupsk. Alongside a similar NATO anti-missile base in Deveselu, Romania, it is part of the American anti-ballistic missile system for defense against medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, as part of its NATO ground-based component of the Aegis Ashore anti-ballistic defense.
The dates for the initial and full readiness of Aegis Ashore in Redzikowo have been postponed several times by the Pentagon beyond the originally planned 2018, mainly due to delays in SM-3 missile production and construction work.
The Polish Institute of International Affairs points out that regardless of Russia’s rhetoric and threats, Poland is forced to monitor whether the base in Redzikowo could be the subject of broader U.S.-Russian compromises or agreements on strategic arms control between the two powers, Do Rceczy writes.
