NATO reassures no disruption in Ukraine aid as US troops relocate
NATO assures that the relocation of American troops from Jasionka will not impact support for Ukraine. The Alliance is taking over the coordination of aid to secure the support mechanism from potential political changes in the USA.
What do you need to know?
- Relocation of US troops from Jasionka: NATO has informed that the relocation of American forces from Jasionka near Rzeszow was pre-planned and will not affect support for Ukraine.
- NATO takes over coordination: The Alliance is assuming control of the aid coordination for Ukraine to safeguard the support mechanism from potential political changes in the USA.
- Operational security: Details regarding the troop relocation remain classified due to operational security.
How is NATO securing support for Ukraine?
NATO reassures that the relocation of US troops from Jasionka will not impact support for Ukraine. The Alliance emphasises that the regrouping of US personnel and equipment in Poland was orchestrated in advance and conducted in close cooperation with allies.
NATO's takeover of aid coordination aims to protect Ukraine's support mechanism from potential political changes in the USA.
Jasionka: what does the relocation of US troops mean for Poland?
The US Army Command in Europe and Africa announced that American personnel and military equipment will be relocated from Jasionka to other locations in Poland to optimise the US military's efforts. This decision reflects months of assessments and planning conducted with Polish hosts and other NATO allies. Details about the relocation remain classified due to the need to maintain operational security.
Will the relocation affect the presence of US troops in Europe?
The Polish Ministry of National Defence emphasises that American troops are not withdrawing from Poland, but a previously planned relocation of subunits is taking place. Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that the Americans informed Poland about this decision and assured that soldiers would continue to be stationed in Poland. Prime Minister Donald Tusk added that the changes are related to a decision made at the 2024 summit in Washington concerning NATO taking over responsibility for the logistics hub.
On Monday, the US Army Command in Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) announced the planned relocation of American personnel and military equipment from the Jasionka airport near Rzeszow to other locations in Poland. As stated in the communiqué, the decision aims to optimise the US military's efforts and "reflects months of assessments and planning" conducted in coordination with Polish hosts and other NATO allies.
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Dr Agnieszka Rogozińska, an analyst at the Sobieski Institute in the field of international security, among other things, assessed in a conversation with PAP that the reasons for the relocation may be strategic goals and economic arguments. She noted that maintaining the base involves payments related to land leases and maintaining the existing infrastructure there.
