Russia says Poland should be aware of costs if it wants to obtain status of ‘frontline state’

Poland should be aware of the costs of obtaining the status of a ‘frontline state’, including implications for its own security, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko said on Thursday. He was commenting on the US plans to relocate its forces from Germany to Poland.

“If Warsaw wishes to intentionally position itself in the capacity of a frontline state by accommodating foreign forces on a permanent basis, it is apparently aware of all related costs, including those that concern its own security,” Grushko told TASS.

Speaking with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said that the US would relocate part of its forces from Germany to Poland.

Washington and Warsaw have been discussing an increase in the US military presence in Poland since autumn 2018, when the initiative of creating ‘Fort Trump’ was first mentioned. An estimated 4,500 to 5,000 US troops are currently stationed in Poland, according to sources.