It’s reassuring to know — with countries like Hungary and Slovakia making friendly overtures to Moscow these days, and Belarus already in Putin’s pocket — that not everyone in Eastern Europe has lost their minds.

Poland — clearly recognizing the threat from the other side of its borders with Belarus, embattled Ukraine, and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad — has taken steps beyond its membership in NATO to shore up its defenses against a possible incursion by Russia.

On Wednesday of this week, Polish and U.S. officials inaugurated a NATO missile defense base in northern Poland, integrating it into NATO’s defenses. While it had originally been planned during the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush as a protection against threats from Iran, Poland has always considered it as a defense in the event of Russian aggression as well. [Vanessa Gera, Associated Press, November 13, 2024.]

Polish President Andrzej Duda said: “The whole world will see clearly that this is not Russia’s sphere of interest anymore. From the Polish point of view, this is strategically the most important thing.” [Id.]

And Poland’s Defense Minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz called the base opening “an extraordinary event in the history of the security of Poland, the U.S. and NATO. The base in Redzikowo means the eternal presence of American and allied troops on the territory of the Republic of Poland and, strategically for Poland, it is one of the most important events in history after 1989.” [Id.]

Good news, indeed.

*. *. *

But along with the news of some positive action, there is, as usual, an equal and opposite reaction.

It goes without saying that Russia has opposed the U.S.-Poland plan from its inception. The Kremlin’s sweet-talking spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed concerns about the U.S. plans even during the Bush administration. In Peskov’s words:

“We then insisted that the Americans saying all these plans are aimed against the ephemeral Iranian threat are in fact a lie, that all these plans were drawn up from the very beginning as an attempt to militarily contain our potential.

”This is the advancement of American military infrastructure on European territory towards our borders. This is nothing other than an attempt to contain our potential. And, of course, this leads to the adoption of appropriate measures to ensure parity.” [Id.]

I particularly enjoyed his classification of an Iranian threat as “ephemeral.” I don’t think he’s been paying enough attention to events in the Middle East.

I’ve been asking myself for years . . . and find myself addressing the question to Dmitry Peskov today: Is this just another example of Russia grasping at any excuse to turn the truth upside-down in order to be able to threaten retaliation? Or is there actually such a thing as mass paranoia?

Because — and it hurts me to admit this, Dima — I’m beginning to worry about you.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/16/24