Everywhere in this area along the Polish-Ukrainian zone, Americans appear. In Przemysl, known to the world as the border town with the train station where thousands of war refugees arrive daily, soldiers curiously walk through the picturesque streets. In the city of Rzeszow, a thousand soldiers of the 82nd Airborne are stationed at a conference center next to the local airport.
President Biden has sent an additional 7,000 military personnel to Poland in recent weeks, in addition to the 5,000 already stationed there. NATO Defense Ministers are meeting in Brussels today to discuss further expansion of forces on NATO’s eastern flank. America supplies Ukraine with weapons, increases the military presence in NATO countries bordering Russia, and helps host millions of refugees.
old alliance
Under successive presidents, Obama, Trump and Biden, the United States has increasingly looked to Asia, and China in particular. The war in Ukraine is reviving the old alliance with European countries. At the moment, Russia poses the greatest danger. Not China.
In recent weeks there has been an intense diplomatic movement of Americans in Europe. Secretary of State Blinkin traveled from one capital to another to persuade the Europeans to impose tougher sanctions on Russia and provide military support to Ukraine. Vice President Harris visited Poland where she highlighted the cornerstone of the NATO alliance.
“I’ve said it many times and will continue to say: US support for Article 5 is consistent. The US takes this principle very seriously: An attack on a NATO country is an attack on everyone.”
Red line
America and NATO have made it clear that they do not want to fight in Ukraine for fear of the outbreak of World War III. For now, they are holding on to arms supplies, humanitarian aid, and financial support to the Ukrainian government. But with the expansion of forces in Poland, the Americans want to send a clear signal to the Kremlin. An attack on a NATO ally is a red line. “We will defend every square inch of NATO territory,” Vice President Harris promised.
The Poles are happy with this support. The Fear of the Russians It is deeply rooted in the Polish army. With war knocking on their doors, they became tense and steadfast at the same time. Many Poles are convinced that they will be Russia’s next target after Ukraine.
In the Polish village of Bircza, located next to the camp of the 82nd Airborne Division, they welcome their new American neighbors with open arms. “It’s good that the Americans are here,” says a resident in the village square. They can protect us if Russia decides to launch an attack here too.”