The United States’ decision to withdraw part of its military presence from Germany has sparked debate over a possible reinforcement of NATO’s eastern flank. Speaking on TV Republika, Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Tomasz Bocheński argued that Poland should seek to host American troops as close to the eastern border as possible. “It would be best if the base were located east of the Vistula River,” the politician said, while also criticizing the government of Donald Tusk over security policy and the SAFE program.
The United States recently announced the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany. Public debate has since emerged, including among American Republicans, over the possibility of relocating some of those forces to NATO’s eastern flank, including Poland or Romania.
The issue was addressed on TV Republika by Tomasz Bocheński.
“Donald Tusk’s government is acting like a madman. If there is a declaration regarding the possible relocation of American troops from anywhere, whether from the Philippines, Japan, Germany, or any other U.S. base, that is an American decision as to where those troops are moved from. The Polish government should say that we are interested, but that the conditions need to be negotiated, because from our point of view, it would be best if the base were located east of the Vistula River, right? So that it is as close as possible to our eastern border,”
the PiS politician said.
Bocheński also referred to the issue of logistical infrastructure for NATO forces.
“All this talk about logistical centers being in Germany, well, then let them be in Poland. That would be better for us than having them located on German territory, where Germany would have the ability to make decisions concerning the defense of the Republic of Poland,”
he stated.
The SAFE program was also discussed during the interview. On Friday, a loan agreement under the EU mechanism was signed at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. Under the arrangement, Poland is expected to receive approximately €43.7 billion for defense purposes. The document was signed by EU commissioners as well as ministers Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Andrzej Domański.
The SAFE program has faced criticism from the opposition, which has pointed to the state’s long-term financial obligations under the scheme. The association Prawnicy dla Polski also weighed in on the matter, requesting that the Chancellery of the Prime Minister disclose the full text of the agreement together with its annexes.
Bocheński also criticized the method of financing military modernization.
“I do not want large German brigades stationed in Poland. I want the government to finally modernize the Polish army and spend on the Polish military what it should be spending, instead of merely taking out loans for 45 years. I would like the government to allocate the necessary funds year after year and for us to have a 300,000-strong Polish army. That is the most important guarantee of our security!”
the PiS MEP said.