Polish FM rules out Russia-NATO war, US troop withdrawal from Europe
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said he sees no risk of Russia's war with NATO and no possibility of a US troop pullback from Europe, noting that European defence spending has doubled since US President Donald Trump's first term.
In an interview for the Czech Republic's Respekt weekly magazine, published on Sunday, the top diplomat commented on, among other things, the American National Security Strategy (NSS) released by the White House in early December.
Sikorski said he agrees with many points outlined in the NSS, which lays out the roadmap for US foreign policy and national security under the Trump administration, including those related to resources and security. He added that the 33-page document offers a realistic analysis in many respects, though some of its "ideological" elements are "controversial."
The minister, however, said that the US stance outlined in the document should come as no surprise. Washington "has more issues to deal with," he noted, adding that Europe must take greater financial responsibility for its own security, and pointing to Poland's defence spending as a share of GDP, which has risen from 2 percent to nearly 5 percent.
Speaking about the possibility of a spillover of Russia's military aggression, the foreign minister said he does not believe President Vladimir Putin would risk launching a war with NATO, arguing that Moscow would need time after the war in Ukraine to rearm for another conflict and that the alliance also has time to beef up its armies.
Sikorski also doubted that Washington would withdraw its troops from Europe. The diplomat said he "does not believe" such a move would take place and noted that the EU has doubled its military spending since Trump's first term in office.
The minister declined to comment on a reportedly fuller, unpublished version of the NSS cited by the specialist US outlet Defence One days after the official document was made public. The document reportedly mentions Poland, Austria, Italy and Hungary as countries that Washington should work more closely with to draw them away from the EU. Sikorski said such reports are "speculations" he cannot address. (PAP)
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