Poles welcome US troops as NATO eyes Russia

Polish authorities and ordinary Poles have welcomed US troops who arrived this week as part of an unprecedented deployment to NATO’s eastern flank, aimed at deterring Russia. “Welcome to Poland,” Prime Minister Beata Szydlo told US troops in Zagan, the Polish town on the German border where the brigade will be headquartered. “We hope you feel at home. The presence of American soldiers in Poland is another step in our strategy to ensure safety and security for Poland and the region.@

This is America’s most capable fighting force: a combat-ready, highly trained US armoured brigade, with our most advanced equipment and weaponry.

Prime Minister Beata Szydlo

The US troops and tanks began streaming into Poland on Thursday as part of one of the largest deployments of US forces in Europe since the Cold War, an operation that Russia angrily branded a security threat. The brigade’s deployment, ordered by the outgoing Obama administration, comes a week ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has suggested his Republican administration will seek to ease tensions with the Kremlin.

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