In addition, the countries have agreed on a location for a U.S. armored brigade combat team and are in discussions about additional support infrastructure as well as a combat aviation brigade, the official said, declining to give details on the specific location.
The officials did not mention plans for naming a military base in honor of the U.S. president, what Duda once called „Fort Trump.“ Reuters reported last week that plans for Fort Trump had stalled amid funding and infrastructure disputes, but U.S. officials pushed back on that claim.
A second senior administration official praised Poland for meeting the goal of spending 2 percent of its GDP on defense, a guideline set by NATO and a threshold sought by Trump.
This „shows that Poland is taking its responsibility as a member of the NATO alliance“ seriously, the second official said. „Poland has just been a model defense partner.“
The officials declined to answer questions about whether Trump plans to move any of the 9,500 U.S. troops from Germany to Poland. The second official pointed to vague comments by national security adviser Robert O’Brien in a Monday op-ed that the troops may redeploy to other countries in Europe, but they also may head to the Indo-Pacific, or return to the U.S.
Duda’s trip to Washington just days before Poland’s presidential election could offer him a political boost as he seeks another term: Poland is one of the most pro-American countries in Europe, and one of the few where photos of a meeting with Trump could turn into an electoral advantage.But the visit has also elicited scrutiny in light of Duda’s critical comments about the LGBTQ community. Polish-American Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) on Tuesday called on to cancel the White House visit with Duda, citing his recent remarks.
“As a Polish-American and someone who deeply values the U.S.-Poland relationship, I am troubled by President Trump’s inappropriate efforts to insert himself into Polish domestic politics and boost President Duda’s reelection with a White House visit,” she said in a statement.“I am especially concerned by Duda’s recent comments comparing the LGBTQ community to communism. It insults the very people who elected him and liberty lovers everywhere, who for decades struggled to lift the yoke of communist oppression from their shoulders.”
Source: politico.com
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