'Will discuss to make troop presence permanent': Polish PM ahead on Biden's Poland visit

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Sunday said that he and US President Joe Biden would discuss the possibility of US troop presence in Poland during the latter's visit to the country on Monday.  "We are in the process of discussion with President Biden's administration about making their (troop) presence more permanent and increasing them," Morawiecki said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

"I'm very grateful also for sending new Patriot systems and other very modern weapons and munitions because this is also to some extent a proxy for the presence of soldiers, but of course the two go in tandem," he said.

The United States currently has roughly 11,000 personnel on rotation in Poland, and last June, Biden announced plans to set up a new permanent army headquarters in Poland in response to Russian threats. During his visit, Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and other Eastern European allies to discuss the situation in Ukraine, but he has no plans to cross into Ukraine.

Since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine in February, Poland has become a key NATO ally in confronting Moscow’s aggression and an indispensable US partner in the region. More than 7 million Ukrainians have crossed the Polish border as refugees. Today, Ukraine and NATO allies rely on Poland for the delivery of weapons and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine.

Biden's visit to Poland from Monday

US President Biden is scheduled to visit Poland from February 20 to 22, two days before the one year anniversary of Russia's invasion in Ukraine. Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss bilateral cooperation as well as the West's collective efforts to support Ukraine and bolster NATO’s deterrence. "He will also meet with the leaders of the Bucharest Nine (B9), a group of our eastern flank NATO Allies, to reaffirm the United States’ unwavering support for the security of the Alliance," said a White House statement.

"In addition, President Biden will deliver remarks ahead of the one year anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, addressing how the United States has rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy, and how we will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes," the statement added.