Poland: US to withdraw troops from Ukraine supply hub
The US has announced that it is withdrawing its troops from the military base in Jasionka, Poland, a key hub for supplying Ukraine. The Polish government and opposition have downplayed the impact of the move, saying that the transfers have long been in planning and will be offset by other Nato members. On the other hand, US media are reporting that the Pentagon is considering pulling out troops across Eastern Europe. Commentators take stock.
A long- and well-planned move
Polityka sees no cause for concern:
“The Americans rightly felt that they were once again doing someone else's work, which although glorious was by no means rewarding. The US had said 'enough is enough' even before the politician who says these words the loudest came to power there. It took several months to hammer out the concept, but in the end it was decided that a 'Ukraine Command' should be set up within Nato and that the mission in Jasionka should be converted from a US to an allied base. These decisions were approved at the Nato summit in Washington - however, without it being explained in detail what they actually meant.”
The wrong signal
Rzeczpospolita is appalled:
“What message is Donald Trump sending to Vladimir Putin with this move? Increasing the US military presence in Poland was meant to show him that the United States would guard every inch of Nato territory. Withdrawing these troops sends the opposite signal. All this does is present Putin and his propaganda machine with a precious gift. Without receiving anything in return.”
Not even part of a deal
Trump could at least have made the withdrawal part of the negotiations on the Ukraine war, political analyst Abbas Gallyamov writes on Facebook:
“I'm convinced that this decision could have been used to secure some kind of concession on Russia's part. Something along the lines of 'Let's each take a de-escalating step. We're prepared to withdraw 10,000 of our soldiers from your borders. What do you offer in return?' One would expect a 'master of deals' to use the available resources more wisely and not simply squander them.”
Parades and preparations for war
Trump is preparing for war, concludes Unian:
“The US government is gradually withdrawing its troops from Eastern Europe while increasing its military budget to a record one trillion dollars. Trump is also planning to hold a military parade on his birthday. And parades, something which all autocrats are so fond of, are a real indicator of the militarisation of society. In other words, Trump is gathering forces and starting to prepare the country for a major war (or the threat of war). Probably not in Europe: Iran (and its proxies, especially the Houthis) and China are the most obvious 'addressees' of these gestures by Trump.”
Citzens left in the dark
Neatkarīgā's editor-in-chief Elita Veidemane criticises the lack of information from the politicians:
“Although the commanders of the National Armed Forces have reassured the public that 'the gates to Latvia are not open', we can't ignore the fact that we are currently caught between two individuals who wield global power and whose next steps are unpredictable and dangerous. What's really worrying is that our country's politicians are not prepared to analyse the political and economic situation and inform society, which is basically being left in the dark about tomorrow, not to mention the coming weeks and months. Is this the arrogance of power or simply a lack of professionalism?”