U.S. Ambassador: we had always hoped that the word "permanent" would be attached to U.S. forces in Poland

Poland on Wednesday hailed U.S. President Joe Biden's commitment to establish the 5th Army's Headquarters in Poland as the realisation of a long-held dream that would send a clear signal of deterrence to Russia.

"Let’s first discuss what was announced – a permanent V Corps Command Headquarters is going to be placed in Poznań on a permanent basis, a U.S. Army garrison to support that command HQ will be placed permanently in Poznań, and that there will be a field support battalion in Poland to support these entities," U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski said in Wednesday's interview for TVN24 journalist Michał Sznajder.

"The significance is that it is the first permanent U.S. force on NATO’s eastern flank. And when I think about my late father, Zbigniew Brzezinski, when I think about Jan Nowak Jeziorański fought for – for enduring safety and security of Poland – that is the significance of today’s announcements. It could not be lost on anyone in NATO and it will not be lost on Putin or Russia as to what the United States is declaring today with this permanent presence," he added.

"The message is: Poland is safe and Poland is secure," the ambassador underscored.

He also listed NATO decisions taken at the Madrid summit, adding that in case of Poland "we had always hoped that the word 'permanent' would be attached to U.S. forces in Poland".

"And that is the historic nature of what is happening today, and I must say that I thank the government of president Duda and prime minister Morawiecki, their alignment with the U.S. military and the Department of Defense, has been exemplary, minister Błaszczak has been very, very good to work with, and by collaborating today, we are today safer and more secure here in Poland," U.S. Ambassador to Poland said.

"That’s the significance of today’s announcement," Brzezinski stressed.

U.S. President Joe Biden told a NATO summit in Madrid earlier on Wednesday that the United States will ramp up its forces and equipment across Europe and set up a new permanent army headquarters in Poland in response to potential new threats from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. "This is news that we have been waiting for for a long time," President Andrzej Duda told a news conference. "It is a fact that strengthens our safety a lot... in the difficult situation which we are in." Since Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014, Poland has viewed an increase in NATO troops on the Western alliance's eastern flank as vital for central Europe's security in the face of increased Russian assertiveness. It has long sought a permanent U.S. military base on its soil. "Something that seemed impossible to many is becoming a fact today," Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz wrote on Twitter. "We have a PERMANENT U.S. presence in Poland... It is also a clear signal to Moscow."

Biden visited Poland in March and told U.S. troops deployed there that they were "in the midst of a fight between democracies and oligarchs." Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of Poland's ruling party, said in April that Warsaw would be open to having U.S. nuclear weapons on its soil and would welcome a 50% increase in the number of U.S. troops in Europe. His comments were criticised by the Kremlin. Before tensions between Russia and the West flared over Ukraine, the U.S. military had about 4,500 troops in Poland in both a NATO and a bilateral capacity, mostly stationed in the west of the country on a rotational basis. Washington has since despatched extra troops and equipment to Poland on a temporary basis and NATO said in June that the alliance currently has 11,600 troops from other countries deployed in Poland, a number which included forces from other NATO members such as Britain.