Polish defence minister, US counterpart discuss military cooperation
Poland’s defence minister on Tuesday met with his US counterpart to discuss bilateral military cooperation amid Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, officials said.
Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin meet near the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszów on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.X/Polish Ministry of Defence
Poland’s Mariusz Błaszczak and America’s Lloyd Austin held talks at a US Army camp near the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszów on Tuesday, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
The meeting took place after the Pentagon chief visited Kyiv a day earlier to reaffirm US support for Ukraine, according to officials.
After Tuesday’s meeting with Austin, Poland’s Błaszczak told reporters their talks had focused on „Polish-American cooperation in the context of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.”
Błaszczak said that Poland’s relationship with America was „crucial for the security of our country and the whole eastern flank of the Atlantic Alliance.”
He added that Poland was America’s „most important ally on NATO’s eastern flank,” as evidenced by the presence of 10,000 US troops in the country.
Błaszczak also said that cooperation with the United States enabled Poland to equip its army with advanced US-made weapons, including Abrams tanks, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and Apache attack helicopters.
The defence minister stated that „Poland aims to build Europe’s strongest army” and already has „more than 193,000 soldiers.”
Błaszczak added that the goal was to have 300,000 troops, the PAP news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP
