Trump Welcomes Poland's Request for Permanent U.S. Military Base

WASHINGTON (AP) — Poland’s leader pressed President Donald Trump on Tuesday to consider creating a permanent American military base in Poland, offering a tempting incentive: The installation would be called “Fort Trump.”

Trump said during a joint news conference with Duda that he was considering the idea and noted that Poland had offered more than $2 billion to the U.S. to pay for such an effort. Duda, for his part, came away confident that he had taken a major step toward lining up a permanent American military base in his country.

“I was smiling when talking to Mr. President. I said that I would very much like for us to set up a permanent American base in Poland which we would call Fort Trump,” Duda said through a translator, prompting Trump to raise his eyebrows and smile. “And I firmly believe that this is possible.”

Seeking a check on Russian aggression, Poland wants the 3,000 U.S. troops now deployed in Poland on a rotating basis to be upgraded to a larger, permanent presence. A decision from the U.S. could come early next year.

Trump said the two leaders agreed to bolster defense, energy and commercial ties, adding that the alliance between the two countries had “never been stronger.”

During a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump renewed his criticism of a planned new natural gas pipeline linking Germany with Russia. Trump said it was “ridiculous” because it benefited Russia and was bad for the German people.

Poland wants to increase the volume of liquefied gas contracts with the U.S. as a way to cut its dependence on gas imports from Russia.

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