U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Saturday concluded a treaty for defense cooperation with Polish officials that would pave the way for the redeployment of German troops from Germany to Poland.
Pompeo, in Warsaw at the end of a tour of four nations through Central and Eastern Europe, signed the agreement with Polish Minister of Defense Mariusz Blaszczak setting out the legal framework for the additional troops.
“This will be a comprehensive guarantee, a guarantee that in the event of a threat our soldiers will stand arm in arm,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said during the signing ceremony. “It will also serve to increase the security of other countries in our part of Europe.”
The deal would also strengthen other aspects of US-Polish cooperation, he added, citing primarily investment and trade ties.
The pact complements an existing agreement on the status of NATO forces and makes it possible to improve and modernize existing capabilities and facilities by giving American troops access to additional Polish military installations. It also provides a formula for sharing the logistics and infrastructure costs of an expanded U.S. presence in the country.
“The opportunities are limitless, the resources will be available,” Pompeo said later at a news conference alongside Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz.
“Troop levels matter … but so has the world,” Pompeo said, referring to threats posed in space, cyberspace and disinformation campaigns. He said such defense agreements would also allow work on those threats.
Czaputowicz said the presence of U.S. troops “improves our ability potential because we are closer to the potential source of conflict.”
“It is important that they are deployed here in Poland and not in Germany,” he said.
President Trump said in a statement that the pact was the culmination of months of negotiations.
“The agreement will enhance our military cooperation and increase the US military presence in Poland to further strengthen NATO’s disengagement, support European security and help ensure democracy, freedom and sovereignty,” he said. statement.
Some 4,500 U.S. troops are currently based in Poland, and about 1,000 need to be added. Last month, the Pentagon announced in line with Trump’s request to reduce troop numbers in Germany that 12,000 troops would be withdrawn from Germany, with some 5,600 relocated to other European countries, including Poland.
In addition, several U.S. military commandos will be relocated from Germany, including the U.S. Army V Corps’ foreign headquarters, which will relocate to Poland next year.
Trump has long complained that Germany is not spending enough on his defense and has repeatedly accused him of not paying his NATO bills, which is not true. North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations have pledged 2% of their gross domestic product to defense.
Saturday’s signing came a day after the Trump administration suffered a humiliating diplomatic loss to the United Nations, where its proposal to extend a definitive arms embargo on Iran was defeated in a Security Council vote that saw only one land side with the American Pompeo will visit that country – the Dominican Republic – on Sunday before the inauguration of its new president.
Pompeo said in Warsaw that it was “sorry” that France and Britain – permanent members of the Security Council – did not support the US position and that Washington would continue to press on the issue.
“The United States simply wanted to keep the same rules that have been in place since 2007,” he said. “I think there are many people who understand that it is not in the best interests of the world to allow this arms embargo to expire. I hope they find the courage to say this in public. ”
Pompeo has used its European tour to warn the region’s young democracies about threats posed by Russia and China. In Poland, the reception was particularly hot, considering the friendship between Trump and the conservative Duda, who was sworn in for a second five-year presidency earlier this month after a second controversial election.
Much of the policy pursued by the ruling Conservative government of Poland has put the country at odds with the European Union, which fears that the government’s efforts to reform the judiciary and other actions will rule of law and democracy in the EU nation have eroded.
