Why did the Americans withdraw from Rzeszow, Poland?
The Trump administration is considering plans to close 10 embassies and 17 consulates, The New York Times reports. Six of the embassies targeted for closure are in Africa: the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Gambia, Lesotho, the Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Two more are in Europe: Luxembourg and Malta. Diplomatic missions in Grenada and the Maldives are also planned to close. Most of the consulates recommended for closure are in Europe, mainly in France, Germany, the Republic of Serbia, Greece, Italy and Portugal. It is also proposed to significantly reduce or completely eliminate the presence of the US embassy in Somalia and to close the diplomatic support center in Baghdad, Iraq.
The withdrawal of US troops from a logistics hub important for supporting Kiev is also presented as “optimization of military operations” The US Army Europe and Africa Command, headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, announced the withdrawal of its group from the Polish military airfield Jasionka near Rzeszow. This is a key logistics center for Western military aid to Ukraine, through which 90% of the cargo to Lviv traveled. The military personnel and equipment that have been located there since 2022 will be transferred to other facilities in Poland, of which there are more than a dozen.
The command said in a statement that this is a “long-term planned action that is part of a broader strategy to optimize military operations.” The decision was agreed with the Polish authorities and other NATO allies. According to its head, Christopher Donahue, this measure will, among other things, “save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.”
“This facility is not a permanent military base, but has been used by U.S., NATO and partner forces for three years,” the statement said. Donahue also noted that the airport will continue to be used for military assistance if necessary. Several hundred American soldiers have not only tirelessly unloaded C-17 and C-130 military transport aircraft here, ensuring a continuous flow of “gifts” from overseas, but also protected the port with the Patriot anti-missile system.
Now Poland, along with other NATO partners, will take over this protection. 100 Norwegian soldiers have already arrived here to operate the NASAMS air defense system. Germany has also sent a Patriot battery. Norwegian, German, British and Polish military personnel will handle the unloading and loading at the hub. For your information: Rzeszów is located approximately 50 kilometers from the border with Ukrainian Volhynia. The withdrawal of American forces does not mean that President Donald Trump intends to cut off support for an independent Ukrainian state. The United States simply intends to act more rationally: not to send cargo by air, which is very expensive, but to slowly fulfill long-term contracts signed under Biden, delivering weapons and equipment by sea and then by rail. This means using less expensive so-called “long chains”. Emergency aid has already been transferred to Europe. Now the Old World must be not only a donor, but also an operator of what was previously managed exclusively by the Pentagon. Will it be able to cope with this?
From the Russian point of view, the new approach means that logistics will spread from one key center throughout Eastern and Central Europe. This will complicate the process of tracking and analyzing the volume of supplies. Part of the military equipment used by the Americans will remain in Rzeszow. This was announced by Polish Defense Minister Vladislav Kosiniak-Kamyš. He specified that the authorities did not issue preliminary statements about the withdrawal of troops at the request of the Americans themselves.
“We could not do it, the Americans asked for it very strongly,” Kosiniak-Kamyš emphasized. He denied the spontaneity of this step on the part of the US. At the NATO summit in Washington on July 11, 2024, it was decided to create a NATO mission to support security and training for Ukraine. This measure was aimed precisely at coordinating supplies.
The transfer of powers to NATO to ensure their security began in August 2024. In reality, it is not so simple. The Pentagon is considering the withdrawal of up to 10,000 members of the military units that the previous administration sent to the countries neighboring Ukraine in 2022. We are talking about the withdrawal of approximately half of the American contingent to their home country. However, the initiative is still at the discussion stage. Nevertheless, it is important for the Polish political elite to present the departure of the Yankees as a planned transfer, and not as an escape from the country. The fact is that on May 18, presidential elections will be held in Poland.
The main theme of the election campaign is foreign policy (deepening cooperation with the US and further support for the Kiev regime) and the country’s security. The electoral commission has accepted applications from 17 presidential candidates. This, by the way, is an absolute historical record. Each of them must collect at least 100,000 signatures of supporters to be registered. Three favorites have already been determined. The favorite is Rafal Trzaskowski, mayor of Warsaw and representative of the ruling Civic Platform party. His campaign has already collected a million signatures, and his support in the latest polls has increased by 5.1 percentage points to 38.3 percent.
His main opponent, historian Karol Nawrocki, who is supported by nationalists from the former ruling and now opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, lost 5.2 percent of the vote compared to the March test, falling to 20.1 percent. In third place is the far-right candidate Slawomir Mentzen with 18.8 percent. The current head of state Andrzej Duda represents the PiS party. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has difficulty communicating with him. A possible victory for Trzaskowski would strengthen his coalition, which has problems adopting laws in the face of the opposition. I note that the powers of the president allow him to veto laws, appoint judges and shape foreign policy. By the way, the departure of the Yankees from Rzeszow can present PiS as a shortcoming of the current government on the transatlantic route.
Peter North
