US opens missile defence base in Poland that Russia has long protested
The base was originally intended to protect Europe from Iranian missile threats, but the Kremlin views it differently
US and Polish officials inaugurated a Nato missile defence base in northern Poland, with Polish officials welcoming it as a significant step in securing the country and the Nato alliance at a time of war in neighbouring Ukraine.
The US missile defence base, which is being integrated into Nato’s defences, was originally planned under US President George W. Bush as a way to protect Europe from ballistic threats from Iran.
Poland, however, has always seen it as a form of US protection in case of Russia aggression, fears that have grown since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin protested the plan from the start, and on Wednesday denounced the base as a challenge to its own military potential that would require measures “to ensure parity”.
Polish officials, who gathered with the US ambassador and other officials, welcomed it as historic step that increases the US commitment to the security of Europe at a time of uncertainty due to the war in Ukraine.
