“Poland will still provide basing and infrastructure to support military presence of about 1,000 American troops,” Trump announced to reporters during a press conference in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday alongside Poland’s President Andrzej Duda. “The Polish government will build these projects at no cost to the United States — the Polish government will pay for this.”
Prior statements said the two presidents considered the reallocation of 2,000 US Troops from Germany to Poland as part of a new cooperative military deal, but Trump has now confirmed landing on the 1,000 number, in what will surely prove deeply provocative concerning ratcheting US-Russia tensions (and it should be added what will also prove yet another conundrum for Russiagaters who see Trump as some kind of pro-Putin stooge).
Duda celebrated the agreement as showing its more powerful and much larger neighbor Russia that the US is to have an increasing and steady military footprint in his country.
Trump’s comments hinted at a continued US commitment right on Russia’s doorstep: “They get hurt, unfortunately, too often, right? Too often,” Trump said of Poland. “They are in the middle of everything. When bad things happen, it seems Poland is the first one that is in there and it is unfortunate.”
Trump also indicated he’s celebrating Poland’s agreement to purchase F-35 fighter jets, which literally involved a somewhat not widely publicized flyover of the White House of a single F-35, which reportedly induced “panic” among many D.C. residents, considering it’s tightly restricted airspace.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda took time away from their talks Wednesday to watch an F-35 fighter jet fly over the White House grounds. pic.twitter.com/HB1jR5B97T
— The Voice of America (@VOANews) June 12, 2019
The F-35 could be seen making a slow, low pass over the Washington monument and White House. Some D.C. residents apparently unaware of the planned flyover (which Trump had initially said would include two Marine Corps F-35 fighters), took to social media to question whether the nation’s capital was under some kind of attack.
“They’re going to put on a very small show for us and we’re doing that because Poland has ordered 32 or 35 brand new F-35s at the highest level,” Trump said during the press conference as Duda looked up and waved while the jet flew overhead.
Duda where’s my F-35? https://t.co/W3ABu0Tg1I
— Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi) June 12, 2019
Polish leaders had originally requested that America establish a permanent station with a full Army brigade which would be called “Fort Trump”; however, the Wednesday announcement will undoubtedly be touted by Warsaw as a sign of political success.
Polish media earlier reported the deal bolsters some 4,000 troops the U.S. now rotates in and out of Poland by over 1,000 soldiers and envisages the European Union’s largest eastern member will cover the cost of upgrades of military infrastructure and related utility bills.
“Security is priceless and we can afford it,” Dera said [Andrzej Dera, a minister at Duda’s chancellery in Warsaw]… Duda’s visit comes 20 years after Poland joined NATO. –Bloomberg
Last year, President Trump slammed NATO members – demanding that they increase their defense spending targets to at least the 2% of GDP they previously committed to.
While details of the new military cooperation agreement were not immediately forthcoming, Trump said during the Wednesday press conference, “As stated in the joint declaration, the United States and Poland continue to enhance our security co-operation.”
via ZeroHedge News http://bit.ly/2WHLZgA Tyler Durden