Polish defence minister to visit Pentagon on November 10 for talks on US bases

In brief

• Poland's defence minister is due to meet US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on November 10.
• Talks are expected to cover American troops in Poland and a possible permanent US base.
• A September meeting was cancelled at the last minute because of a clash with a visit by Xi Jinping.

Meeting set for November 10

The US Department of War has announced that Pete Hegseth will meet Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz at the Pentagon on Tuesday, November 10, at 10:30 local time, which is 16:30 in Poland (Kosiniak-Kamysz leci do USA. Spotka się z sekretarzem wojny – Polsat News) (Pentagon wydał komunikat. Chodzi o wizytę Władysława Kosiniaka-Kamysza w USA – Onet). The Pentagon confirmed the meeting, and the Polish minister said he expects discussions on American bases, the presence of US soldiers and the Polish-American alliance (Szef polskiego MON uda się z wizytą do Pentagonu. Przyjmie go Pete Hegseth – Rzeczpospolita) (Kosiniak-Kamysz leci do USA. Jest nowa data spotkania w Pentagonie – Wirtualna Polska).

Permanent base on the agenda

Discussions in Washington are expected to address the possible establishment of a permanent US military presence in Poland (Kosiniak-Kamysz o wizycie w USA. Podał termin – Wirtualna Polska) (Szef MON leci do Pentagonu. Kosiniak-Kamysz ma rozmawiać o stałej bazie wojsk USA w Polsce – Bankier.pl). Reports also say the discussions will include the location of a service centre for PAC-3 MSE missiles used in Patriot systems. The final decision on a permanent American base rests with President Donald Trump.

Earlier visit cancelled

The meeting was first planned for September 23 but was postponed at the request of the US side, the Polish ministry said at the time (Wizyta szefa MON w USA. Jest nowy termin – Onet). The Pentagon cited a scheduling clash, as Chinese leader Xi Jinping was visiting the United States. Kosiniak-Kamysz said the cancellation came at the last moment. Officials in Warsaw suspected at the time that Hegseth had slowed the talks on a permanent US Army base in Poland.

Timing

The visit comes about a week after the mid-term congressional elections, in which the Republican Party lost seats. Kosiniak-Kamysz had earlier said that if all went well, he would travel to the United States at the start of the coming week, and he declined to name possible dates to avoid a repeat of September.