Foreign ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór told the Polish news agency PAP that allied troops in Poland were "a necessary reinforcement of NATO's eastern flank" in response to Russia's aggression in Ukraine and Moscow's "escalatory rhetoric" towards the alliance.
Wewiór also said the "real source of escalation and tensions in Europe" was Moscow's "unlawful and aggressive military actions" – not measures taken by NATO to defend its borders and citizens.
He added that any attempt by Russia to dictate the terms of troop deployments on Polish territory was "groundless" and amounted to an infringement of Poland's sovereign right to determine its own security needs.
Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had warned that deploying additional US soldiers to Poland "would result in escalation of tension across Europe" and that Moscow would be forced to take "retaliatory measures".
The exchange follows President Donald Trump's announcement on 21 May that the United States would send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said the following day that the decision would need to be translated into a planning process, noting that the Pentagon required time to redeploy forces across Europe.
(ał)
Source: PAP