Pentagon open to Poland's offer to host permanent U.S. base, Polish minister says

WARSAW, June 18 - The U.S. Department of Defense is open to Poland's offer to host a permanent U.S. military presence in Poland, Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Thursday after meeting U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Brussels.

Poland has been pushing for a bigger allied presence on NATO's eastern flank after Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in 2022.

"I had the opportunity to speak today with the Secretary of War — we discussed collective defence and cooperation," Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters in Brussels.

"The U.S. responded positively to Poland's proposal to establish a permanent U.S. military base in Poland."

No decision has been taken yet, he added. Poland has so far hosted U.S. troops on a rotational basis.

On Thursday, Hegseth announced a new review of America's troop deployments in Europe and threatened to withhold some U.S. dues to NATO if "free riding" allies did not meet their defence spending commitments. REUTERS