The US officially opened a new airbase in northern Poland today, as Warsaw seeks to reassure its citizens that NATO is committed to their security following Donald Trump’s presidential election win. The Kremlin remarked that the new American base is part of an effort to contain Russia, moving US military infrastructure closer to its borders.
Plans for the base, located in Redzikowo near the Baltic coast, date back to the early 2000s, with Poland saying it symbolises the strength of its military alliance with Washington, regardless of who occupies the White House.
“It took some time, but this structure demonstrates the United States’ geostrategic commitment,” Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said in a video posted yesterday on X.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, who has emphasised his close relationship with Trump, attended the base’s inauguration.
The US base in Redzikowo is part of NATO’s broader “Aegis Ashore” missile defence shield, which, according to the Alliance, can intercept short- to medium-range ballistic missiles.
Other key components of this shield include a second installation in Romania, US Navy destroyers stationed in the Spanish port of Rota, and an early-warning radar system in the Turkish city of Kürecik.
Moscow has regarded the shield as a threat since 2007, even when it was still in the planning stages.
NATO asserts that the shield is purely defensive.
Military sources told Reuters that the system in Poland could only be used against missiles launched from the Middle East and that the radar would require realignment to intercept missiles from Russia, a complex process entailing a change in policy.
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated on Monday that the shield’s range should be extended, a matter Poland plans to discuss with NATO and the United States.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw later in the day.
Today, the Kremlin commented that the launch of a new US missile base in Poland is part of a strategy to contain Russia by positioning American military assets closer to its borders.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin had opposed these plans since the early 2000s when George W. Bush was US President.
Peskov remarked that Putin had insisted at the time that the US was lying about the shield’s purpose being solely to intercept potential Iranian missiles.
“This proves that President Putin was right. These plans continue to be implemented, marking the advancement of American military infrastructure on European soil toward our borders,” Peskov said.
He did not specify any countermeasures Russia might take in response.
Also read: NATO: Rutte and Blinken reaffirm support for Ukraine
Source: ANA-MPA
