US opens missile base in northern Poland

Part of NATO’s broader rocket shield, nan guidelines could alleviate concerns for European information erstwhile Trump takes office.

The United States is opening a caller rocket guidelines successful bluish Poland, which nan Kremlin criticised arsenic an effort “to contain” Russia by moving US subject infrastructure person to its borders.

Located successful nan municipality of Redzikowo adjacent nan Baltic coast, nan awesome guidelines that will beryllium formally inaugurated connected Wednesday has been successful nan useful since nan 2000s.

As Poland seeks to reassure its citizens of NATO’s committedness to their information pursuing Donald Trump’s statesmanlike predetermination victory, it said nan guidelines shows that its subject confederation pinch Washington remains solid, whoever is successful nan White House.

The guidelines is astir 250km (155 miles) from nan Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

On November 13, we will beryllium opening nan rocket defence guidelines successful Redzikowo.

On matters of information and overseas policy, Poland’s governmental elites stay united.

The 🇵🇱🇺🇸 confederation is strong, sloppy of who governs successful Warsaw and Washington. pic.twitter.com/nHOVgC8XqV

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) November 12, 2024

“It took a while, but this building proves nan geostrategic resoluteness of nan United States,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said successful a video posted connected societal media level X connected Tuesday.

Polish President Andrzej Duda, a blimpish who has stressed his lukewarm ties pinch Trump, was group to be nan opening ceremonial alongside NATO representatives.

The Kremlin said nan deployment of nan rocket defence strategy successful Poland showed “American subject infrastructure advancing towards our borders” arsenic “part of an effort to incorporate Russia militarily”.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned connected Wednesday that Russia will return measures to guarantee “parity” successful response, but did not specify what that would be.

“Of course, this requires nan take of due measures to support parity,” Peskov told reporters, according to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency.

Trump’s past criticisms person unsettled immoderate NATO members, arsenic he pledged that nan US nether his activity would not take sides countries that neglect to put adequately successful defence.

As NATO’s highest defence spender comparative to nan size of its economy, Poland maintains it has small to interest about.

Readying for Trump

The guidelines astatine Redzikowo is portion of a broader NATO rocket shield, called Aegis Ashore, which nan subject confederation says tin intercept short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

Other cardinal shield elements see a 2nd tract successful Romania, US Navy destroyers based successful nan Spanish larboard of Rota and an early-warning radar successful nan municipality of Kurecik successful Turkey.

Russia had already labelled nan guidelines successful Poland a threat arsenic acold backmost arsenic 2007, erstwhile it was still being planned.

NATO says nan shield is purely defensive.

Military sources told nan Reuters news agency nan strategy successful Poland tin only beryllium utilized against missiles fired from nan Middle East and nan radar would request a alteration successful guidance to intercept projectiles from Russia, a analyzable process entailing a alteration of policy.

Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said connected Monday nan scope of nan shield needed to beryllium expanded, which Warsaw would talk pinch NATO and nan US.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was group to meet Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk successful Warsaw later connected Wednesday.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met NATO, European Union, and Ukrainian officials to talk ramping up support for Ukraine earlier Trump returns to nan White House, amid fears this would jeopardise early aid.

The US will “continue to statement up everything we’re doing for Ukraine to make judge that it tin efficaciously take sides itself against this Russian aggression”, Blinken told reporters astatine nan NATO headquarters.

Trump has criticised nan management of President Joe Biden for providing Ukraine pinch tens of billions of dollars successful assistance and has pledged to swiftly extremity nan conflict – without saying how. Ukraine’s world backers interest that a hastily arranged colony would chiefly favour Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies