First permanent base of the US Armed Forces opened in Poland

The US Aegis Ashore missile defence base was officially opened in the northern Polish village of Redzikowo on Wednesday, 13 November.

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President Duda, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysh and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski spoke at the opening ceremony. Also present were US Navy Admiral Stuart Munsch and US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski.

"I welcome our American friends in Poland. I am glad that we are officially opening this base, which, like the US military, will protect the security of the world. Thank you for these important decisions. Let this be a symbol of the fact that after 25 years of NATO presence, this powerful military infrastructure is in Poland," Duda said during the event.

President Duda stressed that the opening of the base is an important step against the backdrop of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and now the world clearly understands that Poland has broken free from Russian influence.

Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysh added: "This creates an excellent basis for cooperation with the new US administration and President-elect Donald Trump."

Prior to the opening of the US base in Redzikowo, the Polish Foreign Ministry also stressed that Polish elites are united on security issues, and the alliance with the US remains strong regardless of political changes in Warsaw or Washington.

Radoslaw Sikorski noted that the construction of the base was initiated by President George W. Bush, started by Barack Obama, continued by Donald Trump, and completed by Joe Biden. It was Sikorsky who signed the missile shield agreement with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2008 when he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Source: Kancelaria Prezydenta