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US considering increasing troop presence in Poland, says PM

19.02.2023 19:00
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland is in talks with President Joe Biden's administration over increasing the presence of US troops in the country.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks with reporters in Kraków, southern Poland, February 18.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks with reporters in Kraków, southern Poland, February 18.Photo: PAP/Łukasz Gągulski

In an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation," ahead of US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Warsaw, Morawiecki spoke about US troops in Poland: "we are in the process of discussion with President Biden's administration about making their presence more permanent and increasing them."

Morawiecki said Poland was "very grateful [to the US ed.] also for sending new Patriot systems and other very modern weapons and munitions."

In the interview with CBS, Morawiecki said he expects President Biden to confirm the common objective of defeating Russia in Ukraine during his upcoming trip to Poland.

"I expect that there will be very strong confirmation of our resilience and our joint efforts to defeat Russia in Ukraine. (…) I believe that the words of President Biden will reassure all Europe, that the United States is with us in this fight for freedom and peace," the Polish Prime Minister said.

US President Joe Biden is set to arrive in Poland on Tuesday for a two-day visit to mark the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

Currently, there are 11,000 US soldiers stationed in Poland on a rotating basis.

Last June, US President Joe Biden announced that his country would create a permanent headquarters for its Army V Corps in Poland in response to threats coming from Moscow after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

(ał)

Source: PAP, Reuters, CBS