US Troops Buildup In Poland Forces Russia To Strengthen Own Potential - Russian Lawmaker

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd August, 2020) The increase in the number of US troops in Poland has political goal and provokes Russia to strengthen its potential in this area, Yury Shvytkin, the Russian State Duma Defense Committee's deputy chair, told Sputnik.

Pentagon chief Mark Esper said earlier that Washington and Warsaw had completed negotiations, agreeing an additional 1,000 US troops to be sent to Poland. According to Esper, the agreement will strengthen the containment of Russia.

"One thousand people is approximately the size of the regiment. At the same time, of course, it will not decide the outcome of the case, but at the same time, the more the number [of military personnel] of the NATO bloc in Europe, the less security in Europe. And of course, this is done with the goal that is probably more of a political one, to ensure political support for Poland, so that they feel that the US elder brother cares about them," Shvytkin said.

"This forces us to ensure security even more in this direction. The Western countries themselves are pushing us to strengthen our potential in this direction. ... Of course, Russia has enough resources [to ensure security], but at the same time we always provide mirror reaction to the challenges that Western countries define for us," the parliamentarian stressed.

He also noted that the leadership of Poland, like other European countries, does not think about the prospects and future of the military contingent.

"Saturation with troops and saber-rattling does not lead to anything good," the lawmaker said.