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Polish defence minister hails stable US troop presence after talks with Pentagon chief

15.10.2025 22:00
US troops will remain stationed in Poland as part of a stable military presence, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Wednesday after talks in Brussels with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.Photo: PAP/Wiktor Dąbkowski

"We confirmed the strength of our commitments as allies,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters following a meeting of NATO defence ministers.

According to Kosiniak-Kamysz, "the confirmed US military presence" gives Poland an advantage over “those countries still wondering whether American soldiers will stay.”

US troops "are staying in Poland because we invest in defence, because we have strong relations with the United States, because we are an important economic partner making major purchases from our American ally,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

“Poland also demonstrates that spending on armaments and the modernization of our armed forces is at the highest level," he added.

He thanked Hegseth for Washington’s support following recent violations of Polish airspace, saying that without immediate US approval “we would not have been able to invoke Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.”

Kosiniak-Kamysz said he and Hegseth also discussed the ongoing development of Poland’s air defence systems, including the Patriot missile defence system.

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (right) and Pete Hegseth (left) meet in Warsaw on Friday. Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (right) and Pete Hegseth (left) during a meeting in Warsaw in February. Photo: PAP/Marcin Obara

Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters that Poland has not yet joined the US-led Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, under which NATO allies finance weapons and ammunition for Ukraine from US stockpiles.

"That decision is still ahead of us," he said.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said more than half of the alliance’s member states have declared participation in the PURL aid package.

“There was no such declaration from Poland today,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said, adding that Warsaw was continuing to support Ukraine through other means.

"Poland was one of the first to provide massive assistance at the start of the conflict, when others were still hesitating,” he said.

He noted that Poland remains a key logistics and infrastructure hub for Ukraine, requiring daily engagement of Polish troops and personnel.

“This is a serious initiative, and our decision on participation will be made soon,” he declared.

Kosiniak-Kamysz also said that the alliance's Eastern Sentry operation, launched after Russian drones violated Polish airspace last month, should become a long-term, multi-stage NATO effort linked with the Baltic Sentry mission.

“These two operations, initiated by Poland, fit into NATO’s lasting strategy,” he said.

During his visit to Brussels, Kosiniak-Kamysz was also expected to sign a bilateral agreement with Ukraine on cooperation between the two countries’ defence industries.

“We want to bring our defence sectors closer together,” he said, adding that Poland is particularly focused on drone and counter-drone technologies, while Ukraine is interested in Poland’s capacity to produce heavy equipment for land forces.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP