Washington — Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated Sunday that Poland is in talks with the Biden administration about rising the U.S. troop presence in his nation as President Biden prepares to go to Poland this week to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We’re in the method of dialogue with President Biden’s administration about making their presence extra everlasting, and rising them,” Morawiecki informed “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan.
He additionally expressed gratitude for weaponry supplied by the USA, and reiterated the significance of NATO for deterring Russian aggression.
Transcript: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on “Face the Nation”
“I am very grateful additionally for sending new Patriot methods and different very trendy weapons and munitions. As a result of that is additionally, to some extent, a proxy for [the] presence of troopers, however in fact, the 2 go in tandem,” Morawiecki stated, referencing U.S. initiatives to replenish tools that Poland has despatched to Ukraine. “I additionally recall the phrases of President Biden from final fall, from his final go to in Poland, when he stated that each inch or sq. inch of NATO’s nation’s territory might be defended, and Russia just isn’t going to place any inroads into these nations.”
U.S. troops had been first despatched to Poland in 2017 as a part of a NATO effort to bolster the alliance’s japanese entrance in response to Russia’s aggressive habits in the area. A number of thousand reinforcements had been deployed to the nation earlier than Russia’s invasion final 12 months, and there are at the moment about 11,000 U.S. service members in Poland on a rotating foundation.
For the reason that invasion of Ukraine, NATO has bolstered its troop presence throughout Europe. Final June, Mr. Biden announced the U.S. was completely stationing a command in Poland for the primary time. The everlasting power doesn’t embody fight troops, in order to conform with a 1997 settlement between Russia and NATO in which the alliance agreed to maintain fight items out of Japanese Europe.
The White Home announced earlier this month that Mr. Biden can be touring to Poland this week to debate cooperation between the U.S. and Poland, in addition to their collective efforts to help Ukraine and bolster NATO.
“I anticipate that there might be very robust affirmation of our resilience and our joint efforts to defeat Russia in Ukraine,” Morawiecki stated Sunday. “Some Western European politicians say that Russia can not win this warfare and Ukraine can’t be defeated. We’ve got to alter that paradigm and we now have to say, Ukraine should win and Russia have to be defeated. And I consider that the phrases of President Biden will reassure all [of] Europe that the USA is with us in this battle for freedom and peace.”
Poland has been a serious supply of help to Ukraine for the reason that starting of the battle, internet hosting greater than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees and spending billions to supply housing, well being care and different providers. Poland borders each Ukraine and Belarus, the place Russian troops have been stationed since earlier than the beginning of the battle, and could possibly be the subsequent nation in Vladimir Putin’s crosshairs if Ukraine had been to fall to Russia.
Final Monday, Moldova’s president accused Russia of planning to foment protests calling for an overthrow of her authorities in an try and destabilize the nation. Moldova borders Ukraine, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated Friday that the U.S. has “deep concern” about Russia’s actions.
Requested if Poland has seen proof that Russia may goal different nations, together with his, Morawiecki replied: “Sure, I do see plenty of fingerprints of Russian forces, Russian providers in Moldova,” including that “this can be a very weak, very weak nation and all of us want to assist them.”
Morawiecki additionally talked about different provocations by Russia, reaching past Ukraine’s borders.
“One of many missiles of [the] Ukrainian protection system fell on Polish territory, killing individuals. And this was a direct consequence of a rockets and missiles assault from Russia on Ukraine,” he stated, referencing an incident in November that heightened fears of a NATO ally getting drawn into the combating.
The prime minister was additionally hopeful that fighter jets might be delivered to Ukraine in the close to future to assist in their battle.
“There have been many issues past our creativeness firstly of the warfare, after which, [the] unimaginable grew to become realizable. And so [it] was with tanks, so was with the Patriot anti-aircraft, anti-missile, anti-rocket system,” Morawiecki stated.
Morawiecki additionally echoed a statement he made this week on the Munich Safety Convention, the place he expressed his willingness to supply Ukraine with Soviet-era MiG fighter jets. The U.S. agreed to ship tanks to Ukraine final month, however has to date resisted calls to ship fighter jets.
“I consider that additionally with fighter jets, ultimately, there might be fighter jets from the West, delivered to Ukraine. Poland’s place is, we are able to do that, however solely in mixture with different NATO allies, and in explicit, below the management of the USA,” Morawiecki stated.
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