US troops, part of a NATO mission to enhance Poland's defense, before an official welcoming ceremony in Orzysz, Poland, April 13, 2017. Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's defense minister says he has held talks with US officials about having thousands of US troops permanently stationed as a deterrent in Poland.

Poland is concerned for its own and the region's security following Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, and other steps seen as hostile.

Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Monday he recently held talks in Washington about having a permanent presence of US troops in Poland, where they are currently on a temporary, rotational mission. He said the US Senate has contacted the Pentagon on the subject.

The Onet.pl news portal says Poland is offering up to $2 billion to help build the infrastructure for the permanent deployment.

Poland and its neighbors in the Baltics — Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia — have all expressed concern about Russia. NATO-led battle groups have been deployed to each country. Lithuania has hosted 150 US troops since 2014, and in mid-2017 the country's president requested a permanent US presence " to not only deter but to defend" against possible threats.

A particularly worrying scenario for some in the region is Moscow closing the Suwalki Gap, a 60-mile-long section of the Poland-Lithuania border between Belarus, a Russian ally, and Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea. Such a move would cut off the Baltics from the rest of Europe.</s>WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s defense minister says he has held talks with U.S. officials about having thousands of American troops permanently stationed as a deterrent in Poland. Poland is concerned for its own and the region’s security following Russia’s annexation of the …</s>WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s defence minister says he has held talks with U.S. officials about having thousands of American troops permanently stationed as a deterrent in Poland.

Poland is concerned for its own and the region’s security following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and other steps seen as hostile.

Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Monday he recently held talks in Washington about having a permanent presence of U.S. troops in Poland, where they are currently on a temporary, rotational mission. He said the U.S. Senate has contacted the Pentagon on the subject.

The Onet.pl news portal says Poland is offering up to $2 billion to help build the infrastructure for the permanent deployment.</s>WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s defense minister said Monday that he has held talks with U.S. officials about having thousands of American troops permanently stationed as a deterrent in Poland.

Poland is concerned for its own and the region’s security following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and other steps seen as hostile.

Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said he recently held talks in Washington about having a permanent presence of U.S. troops in Poland, where they are currently on a rotational, temporary, though open-ended mission.

“The result of our efforts is that the U.S. Senate has contacted the Pentagon about an assessment of … (the) permanent presence of U.S. troops in Poland,” Blaszczak said on state Radio 1. “Such presence is of great importance because it deters the adversary.”

The Onet.pl news portal says Poland is seeking the permanent deployment of a U.S. armored division and is offering up to $2 billion to help build the infrastructure. It says the defense ministry has written to U.S. politicians and the U.S. Congress with details of the proposal.

The ministry’s press office confirmed to The Associated Press that such a document has been forwarded but declined to give more details.

Other countries in the region would also like to see U.S. land forces stationed permanently in their area, Blaszczak said last week.

U.S. and NATO troops were deployed to Poland and the region last year as a security assurance.</s>The Kremlin has responded to Poland’s Monday offer to the United States in order for the latter to have a permanent military presence in the European country. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday the move would undermine stability on the continent.

"It depends what kind of base it will be. In general, when we noticed the gradual expansion of NATO's military infrastructure towards our borders, the immediate approach of NATO's military structure to our borders does not in any way contribute to security and stability on the continent, on the contrary, these expansionist actions, of course, inevitably lead to counter-measures on the Russian side in order to balance the parity that breaks each time," Peskov said, Sputnik News reported.

As a member of NATO, the U.S. through the Atlantic Resolve demonstrates its commitment to the security of NATO allies — Poland being one. The operation involves conducting continuous, enhanced multinational training and security cooperation activities with allies and partners in Eastern Europe. This affords U.S. troops to be present in Poland, although currently, they rotate between Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

According to Russia’s largest news agency, TASS, the U.S.’ armored brigade with regard to Atlantic Resolve consists about 3,500 troops, 400 track vehicles, 900 military vehicles, including 87 Abrams tanks and 18 Paladin 155mm self-propelled howitzers.

On May 24, the U.S. Senate asked “the Secretary of Defense to report on the feasibility and advisability of permanently stationing a U.S. Army brigade combat team in Poland.”

Poland offered up to $2 billion to the U.S. to establish a military base permanently, quoting comments “U.S. President Donald Trump made clear in his landmark Warsaw address.” The address being referred to in a proposal from Poland's Ministry of National Defence was of the trip Trump made when he visited the country in July 2017.

“This continent no longer confronts the specter of communism. But today we’re in the West, and we have to say there are dire threats to our security and to our way of life. You see what’s happening out there. They are threats. We will confront them. We will win. But they are threats,” the president said.

Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy head of the Russian Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told RBC business portal that “Poland becomes the object of a retaliatory strike by placing the base.” Dzhabarov, who is a senator, warned such a move “makes Poland one of the main targets in case of a possible conflict.”

“The closer they get to NATO, the more endangered Poland’s very existence becomes,” Dzhabarov told the publication (in Russian), the Moscow Times reported.

During his visit to Poland on Monday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg again reiterated his call for Moscow to accept responsibility for the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Russia was accused by the Netherlands and Australia for the tragedy which killed all 298 passengers onboard. Stoltenberg said this “more assertive” Russia is one of NATO’s biggest security challenges.

"I agree with the Dutch government, which calls on Russia to take responsibility for the crash," Stoltenberg said, calling the tragedy a “direct consequence” of Russian aggression towards Ukraine.</s>Poland is so apprehensive of the perceived Russian threat that they are willing to cough up $2 billion in help offset the expenses of a permanent US military presence on their soil to deter ‘Russia’s aggressive posture’.

Poland’s present view of Russia simply makes no practical sense from a security perspective, as no threats have been made in their direction.

In fact, the Poles aren’t stopping with military ‘deterrence’, as they are even intent on taking a cut to the amount of LNG that they can import, and for a higher cost, in order to avoid buying their gas from Russia, assuming, instead, a contract with the US to import American gas, to be shipped from half the world away.

Poland is reportedly willing to pay $2bn for permanent presence of US troops in the country. Moscow called the initiative “dangerous”, saying it won’t benefit European security.

 The document dubbed ‘Proposal for a US Permanent Presence in Poland’ by the country’s Defense Ministry was leaked online by local media and Politico Europe group at the weekend. The 39-page document discusses how “extraordinarily strong” Poland-US relations throughout history have been: how Polish people were “remarkably pro-Western” during the Cold war, how they fought against communism and disliked the Soviet Union. To prove the point, the ministry draws examples of Donald Trumps’ statements, in particular his “landmark” Warsaw address, calling to confront “dire threats to our security.” “A permanent presence of a US armored division in Poland – on dedicated US military installations – will help achieve that goal [set by Trump],” the document reads. The main aim Warsaw lists for having such a force on its soil is “unequivocal challenge and deterrence to Russia’s increasingly emboldened and dangerous posture” in Europe. It assumes that permanent US troops in Poland “will send a clear message” to Russia of US support for its Eastern European allies. Poland is willing to pay as much as $2bn for the “message”, which is one fifth of country’s defense expenditure ($10 bn) in 2017, according to NATO estimates. By paying this money Warsaw hopes it “can build an even stronger bond” with the US which will guarantee “the safety, security and freedom of its people”. The documents, leaked about a month ahead of NATO summit in Brussels, contain detailed maps of various locations where Warsaw is ready to host US troops. The report eventually concludes that cities of Bydgoszcz and Torun in the heart of the country would be the “ideal location for the establishment of a permanent U.S. presence in Poland.” Last week US Senate called upon Defense Secretary Jim Mattis “to report on the feasibility and advisability of permanently stationing” US forces on Polish soil. Poland welcomed the news “with joy and hope”. Hosting permanent US troops on Polish soil “would not improve security and stability in Europe,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “Of course, it is a sovereign decision of any country, but the consequences for the general atmosphere on the continent are obvious,” he added. Warsaw’s proposal is a “dangerous initiative,” deputy chairman of Russia’s upper-house foreign affairs committee, Vladimir Dzhabarov said. “The deployment of NATO’s permanent base makes Poland one of the main targets in case of a possible conflict. Hosting [such a] base, Poland becomes the object of a retaliatory strike,” he told Russian RBK. NATO has been beefing up its presence in eastern Europe and the Baltic states in recent times, with Moscow regularly portrayed as a boogeyman who needs to be warded off. In March this year Poland signed a $4.75 billion deal to purchase US air-defense Patriot missile systems, claiming it wants to have “friendly relations” with its neighbors. Moscow has repeatedly stated that by boosting Western missile defenses on Russia’s doorstep, NATO risks undermining regional security.

Meanwhile, the Russian MoD is declared that it has prepared a response should Poland erect a US military base. The First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Yevgeny Serebrennikov said “the Russian diplomatic community continues its work in this direction, hoping to warn this decision or persuade Poland to abandon it, but despite diplomatic efforts, the Russian Defense Ministry is ready to oppose (in case a base appears) and, as far as I know, such measures already conducted.”

Serebrennikov didn’t give any specifics about what those measures might include, only that they serve to bolster Russia’s security.

Donate Gift €20 or more and we'll send you our super awesome mug absolutely FREE! Your donations allow us to hire more writers and broaden our reach to those seeking the truth. Will you help expose the lies of the mainstream media? As a reader of The Duran, you are well aware of all the propaganda and disinformation reported by the mainstream media. You know how important it is to bring real news to light. Please support The Duran and help us keep reporting on news that is fair, balanced, and real.</s>WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's defense minister said Monday that he has held talks with U.S. officials about having thousands of American troops permanently stationed as a deterrent in Poland.

Poland is concerned for its own and the region's security following Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and other steps seen as hostile.

Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said he recently held talks in Washington about having a permanent presence of U.S. troops in Poland, where they are currently on a rotational, temporary, though open-ended mission.

"The result of our efforts is that the U.S. Senate has contacted the Pentagon about an assessment of ... (the) permanent presence of U.S. troops in Poland," Blaszczak said on state Radio 1. "Such presence is of great importance because it deters the adversary."

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that an increase in the West's military presence near Russia's borders "certainly does not contribute to security and stability on the continent in any way."

"On the contrary, these expansionist steps, certainly, result in counteractions of the Russian side to balance the parity which is violated every time this way," Peskov said, according to Russian news agency Tass.

The Onet.pl news portal says Poland is seeking the permanent deployment of a U.S. armored division and is offering up to $2 billion to help build the infrastructure. It says the defense ministry has written to U.S. politicians and the U.S. Congress with details of the proposal.

The ministry's press office confirmed to The Associated Press that such a document has been forwarded but declined to give more details.

Other countries in the region would also like to see U.S. land forces stationed permanently in their area, Blaszczak said last week.

U.S. and NATO troops were deployed to Poland and the region last year as a security assurance.</s>Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on May 28 that he has had talks with U.S. officials about permanently stationing U.S. troops in Poland as a deterrent against Russian aggression.

Blaszczak said he had the talks recently in Washington that were prompted by security concerns following Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and its support for pro-Russia separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine.

"The result of our efforts is that the U.S. Senate has contacted the Pentagon about an assessment of...[the] permanent presence of U.S. troops in Poland," Blaszczak said on state Radio 1. "Such presence is of great importance because it deters the adversary."

A report by the Onet.pl news portal says Warsaw is offering up to $2 billion to help build the infrastructure for a permanent U.S. base in Poland.

Poland currently hosts a contingent of U.S. troops on a rotational, temporary, but open-ended mission.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that an increase in NATO’s military presence near Russia's borders "certainly does not contribute to security and stability on the continent in any way."

"These expansionist steps, certainly, result in counteractions of the Russian side to balance the parity which is violated every time this way," Peskov told Russia’s state-run TASS news agency on May 28.

Based on reporting by AP, BBC, Onet.pl, and TASS</s>WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s prime minister has called a planned Russian gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, a “new hybrid weapon” and says Moscow wants to use it to undermine NATO and the European Union.

Mateusz Morawiecki called Nord Stream 2 “a poisoned pill of European security” as he addressed a NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Warsaw on Monday.

The Nord Stream 2 project would double the amount of natural gas Russia can funnel directly to energy-hungry Germany from newly tapped reserves in Siberia, intentionally skirting Eastern European nations like Poland and Ukraine.

The United States and some other EU members share Poland’s opposition to the project, warning that it could give Moscow greater leverage over Western Europe.</s>Poland has offered to pay the United States $2 billion to house a permanent military installation to deter “potential Russian aggression,” according to a defense ministry proposal reported on by Poland’s Onet.pl news portal. Poland has temporarily hosted more than 1,100 NATO soldiers, including U.S. troops, south of Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad for over a year as the Western military alliance shied away from deploying permanent military capabilities on the Russian frontier.

A senior Russian senator has warned that Poland could become a prime target in a possible East-West conflict if it stationed a permanent NATO military base.

“Poland becomes the object of a retaliatory strike by placing the base,” Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy head of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs committee, told the RBC business portal Monday.

He warned that a permanent NATO installation “makes Poland one of the main targets in case of a possible conflict.”

Analysts attributed the Polish defense ministry’s proposal — reportedly sent to Washington without clearance from the foreign ministry or the president — to Poland’s distrust of its European allies in a potential conflict with Russia, RBC reported.

“The closer they get to NATO, the more endangered Poland’s very existence becomes,” Senator Dzhabarov warned.

The Kremlin warned that the proposed U.S. base would pose a security risk to the region.

"When we see the gradual expansion of NATO military structures towards our borders..., this of course in no way creates security and stability on the continent," Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call on Monday.
Poland's Minister of Defence Mariusz Błaszczak says he recently talked with U.S. officials in Washington D.C. about permanently stationing thousands of U.S. troops in Poland as a deterrent against Russia.