South Korean Foreign Minister Choo Hyeon held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on issues related to developing cooperation between the two countries in the fields of artificial intelligence, nuclear energy and quantum technologies, the South Korean Foreign Ministry reported today, quoted by Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Hyeon is meeting Rubio in Washington for the first time since he was appointed to the post by the new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who won the early presidential election in June.
Poland is the last European country where the US will reduce its military presence, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski told Reuters.
Zalewski made the statement at a time when the US is considering reduce the number of its troops stationed in Europe. The weakening of the US military presence on the European continent has been a topic that has been constantly coming to the fore since Donald Trump returned to the White House and Washington began to put pressure on its allies in Europe to increase their defense spending.
"From all the conversations we have with the Americans, it is clear that Poland is the last country they want to withdraw (their troops - ed.)", said Zalewski.
The Polish deputy defense minister noted that there is a strategic reason for the US military presence in Poland, which borders Ukraine and falls on NATO's eastern flank. The US military in Poland serves as a deterrent against Russia after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Zalewski explained.
He added that Poland is seeking to be a distribution center for US troops in Europe and possibly serve as a logistics, service and even production hub for the US defense industry. "We are talking about the modernization of F-16 aircraft or a service center for all types of American combat vehicles, including "Abrams" tanks," Zalewski added. Such a role was played by Germany during the Cold War, and it is logical that countries closer to the conflict with Ukraine should be a base for US and allied military operations, the Polish deputy defense minister continued.
Poland has increased its defense spending and accelerated the process of modernizing its army, becoming the most significant supplier of military equipment to NATO in terms of its share of national wealth. According to the Polish Defense Ministry, the country is also the largest buyer of American weapons in Europe and is positioning itself as a key player in the face of Russia’s aggression. Poland’s arsenal includes Abrams tanks, HIMARS missile systems, Patriot air defense systems, advanced F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, and Apache helicopters.
Warsaw has been a leading voice in calls for NATO members to spend more on defense. Poland, which borders Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, has allocated 4.7 percent of its gross domestic product to bolster its armed forces by 2025, committing to increasing that to 5 percent by 2026.