US and Polish officials open missile defense site that Russia has long protested
WARSAW, Poland — U.S. and Polish officials inaugurated a NATO missile defense base in northern Poland on Wednesday, with Polish officials hailing it as an important step in securing the country and the NATO alliance at a time of unrest. war in neighboring Ukraine.
The US missile defense base, which is being integrated into NATO defenses, was originally planned under US President George W. Bush as a way to protect Europe from ballistic threats from Iran. However, Poland has always seen it as a form of American protection in the event of Russian aggression, a fear that has increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin protested the plan from the start, denouncing the base on Wednesday as a challenge to its own military potential, which would require measures “to guarantee equality.”
Polish officials, who met with the US ambassador and other officials, welcomed it as a historic step that strengthens the US commitment to Europe’s security at a time of uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine. There are also concerns about whether Donald Trump will remain as committed to European security when he returns to the White House in January.
“The whole world will clearly see that this is no longer Russia’s sphere of interest,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said at the ceremony in Redzikowo. “From a Polish perspective, this is strategically the most important thing.”
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called the opening of the base with its hundreds of US Navy personnel “an extraordinary event in the history of Polish, US and NATO security.” He said the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East demonstrate the importance of air defense.
“The base in Redzikowo means the perpetual presence of American and allied forces on the territory of the Republic of Poland and, strategically for Poland, it is one of the most important events in history after 1989,” he said.
The facility is equipped with the US Navy’s modern Aegis Ashore system, which can detect, track and destroy ballistic missiles in the early stages of their flight. It is Aegis Ashore’s second land feature in Europe after the first such installation was carried out operation in Romania in 2016.
Asked about the base at a news briefing Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed concerns about the U.S. plans even during the Bush administration.
“We then insisted that the Americans who say that all these plans are against the short-lived Iranian threat are in fact a lie, that all these plans were designed from the very beginning as an attempt to contain our potential militarily ” he said.
“This is the advancement of US military infrastructure on European soil towards our borders. This is nothing more than an attempt to control our potential. And this naturally leads to taking appropriate measures to ensure equality,” Peskov added.
Later in the day, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Warsaw for meetings with Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, another gesture of NATO unity. He praised Poland for its contributions to the alliance, including its high level of defense spending.
“This will build one of the largest armies in NATO,” Rutte said at a joint press conference with Tusk.
Tusk, who is preparing for Poland’s takeover of the European Union’s rotating leadership on January 1, said he has spoken to other European leaders to ensure they remain committed to Ukraine’s involvement in any future negotiations on his fate.
“This means that EU Member States must ensure that future decisions on, God willing, ending the war or freezing the conflict are taken in full agreement and with the participation of the interested states, those from the eastern flank , but especially Ukraine itself. Tusk said.