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Why Poland sought permanent US troops in 2018
Summary
A look back at the Polish defence minister's remarks on 28 May 2018 about stationing American forces in Poland as a deterrent against Russia.
What did Warsaw want from Washington on 28 May 2018? According to Poland's Minister of Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, the answer was a permanent American military presence on Polish soil.
Błaszczak said he had recently held talks with U.S. officials in Washington D.C. about permanently stationing thousands of U.S. troops in Poland. He framed the idea as a deterrent against Russia.
What the remarks showed
The statement placed deterrence of Russia at the centre of Polish defence policy. The word "permanent" mattered: it pointed to a lasting basing arrangement, not a temporary deployment. The minister described the talks as having taken place already, which made the proposal a matter of active discussion between the two governments.
A regional frame
For readers in Kyiv and other capitals in the region, the logic was plain. A neighbouring state was publicly linking the presence of U.S. forces to the Russian threat. The remarks did not settle the question: the report described talks, not an agreement, and no outcome was stated.
The same weekend, Kyiv had hosted the UEFA Champions League final on 26 May 2018, where Real Madrid beat Liverpool at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex and won the title for a third consecutive time.
