During a visit to Vilnius on Monday, Polish President Karol Nawrocki briefed his Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nausėda on his recent visit to Washington, during which US President Donald Trump pledged to maintain—and potentially increase—the American troop presence in Poland.
At a joint news conference with Nausėda, Nawrocki said Lithuania was a proven ally of Poland in both the European Union and NATO, and that the Baltic and Central European region must stand together against the threat from Russia.
“This threat is our shared experience,” Nawrocki said. “We know the spirit of the Russian Federation, but we also know how to respond together."
He told reporters that his talks with Nausėda focused on "joint responses to the hybrid war taking place right by our borders.”
The meeting came as the United States announced it would halt funding for a military assistance programme known as Section 333, which had supported training and development in the Baltic states.
Nawrocki described the move as pressure on European allies to step up their defence spending, in line with NATO commitments.
“I believe President Trump’s declaration about US troops in Poland, and the possibility of strengthening those forces, is good news for all of Central Europe, including the Baltic states,” Nawrocki said.
Nausėda welcomed Trump’s assurances, saying he hoped they reflected sustained US interest in the security of the region.
He added that Lithuania also valued the presence of European NATO troops, including those from Germany.
“The permanent presence of US forces in Lithuania and Poland is a crucial deterrent,” Nausėda said.
He announced that Lithuania plans to expand cooperation with Poland on border protection and air defence.
Nawrocki argued that Trump was “the only leader of the free world ready to push Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiations and to ending the war in Ukraine.”
Nausėda told reporters that lasting peace would depend on Ukraine having a strong army and credible security guarantees.
He called for tougher sanctions on Russia, targeting its banking system, shadow fleet and state nuclear company Rosatom, as well as increased pressure on Belarus, which he said holds more than 1,000 political prisoners.
The two leaders also discussed military and financial support for Ukraine, EU accession prospects, NATO's new defence spending target of 5 percent of GDP, illegal migration and shared historical memory, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
During his visit, Nawrocki also met with Lithuania’s prime minister-designate, Inga Ruginienė, parliamentary Speaker Saulius Skvernelis and members of the Polish minority.
On Monday evening, Nawrocki travelled on to Finland for the next stop in his foreign tour.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP