Trump sells more US troops & LNG to Poland while bashing Russian gas supply to EU

The US and Poland have signed a military cooperation deal that includes buying F-35 fighters and hosting US troops, while claiming they’d love to have better relations with Russia. Poland will also buy US liquefied natural gas.

Ahead of the joint press conference on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda watched a F-35 conduct a flyover above the White House, in a stunt meant to celebrate Warsaw’s decision to purchase 32 of the US-made jets. Trump spoke of the “unbreakable bonds” between the two countries, which, he said, were bound by “deep common values” and “shared goals.”

Though the weather in Washington was sunny and pleasant, the long shadow of Russia loomed over the presidential presser. At one point, Duda responded with a litany of historical grievances when asked if his country saw Russia as a friend or foe, and insisted that Poland is and always was a part of the West in every respect.

Poland will provide "basing and infrastructure to support military presence of about 1,000 American troops," at no cost to the United States, Trump said.

The Polish government will pay for this.

During an Oval Office meeting earlier in the day, Trump said that about 2,000 additional US troops could be moved to Poland from another location in Europe, but said no final decision was made. Duda said he hoped the US military presence in Poland would be enduring and would increase gradually.

The symbolic move is designed “to show that Poland is relevant,” Michael Maloof, a former senior security policy analyst at the Pentagon, told RT. “It is meant to bolster Poland and give it some relevance in that NATO defense… It’s really to boost morale, and I guess to show the Russians that the US and NATO mean business.”

Duda also signed contracts worth around $8 billion for American LNG, Trump said. Warsaw already has a 20-year deal to buy LNG from the US in a bid to give up Russian gas entirely, despite the fact that American gas is more expensive and is not as reliable to meet Poland’s needs.

Asked by a reporter how he felt about Germany’s decision to work with Russia on the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Trump said Germany was making a “tremendous mistake,” and was making itself a "hostage" of the Kremlin. However, the US president once again stumped everyone by insisting he would like a "great relationship" with Russia, China "and many other countries.”

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