US congressional leader Ryan: US stands with NATO, Poland

WARSAW, Poland – U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan brought a message of solidarity to Poland’s leaders on Friday, telling them that the United States supports NATO and shares Polish concerns about “Russian aggression.”

Leading a bipartisan congressional delegation, Ryan met with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Beata Szydlo. The visit followed the recent deployment of thousands of U.S. troops to NATO’s eastern flank, an effort to reassure a region that is nervous about Russia’s resurgence.

Speaking at the presidential palace in the heart of historic Warsaw, the Republican said the delegation’s visit was meant to show appreciation for the U.S. and Poland’s “strategic partnership” within NATO and to reaffirm “our steadfast commitment to our NATO alliance.”

“We are here to pledge our support for NATO,” Ryan said. “And we share our concern with Russian aggression and we stand side by side, shoulder to shoulder, with our allies, especially you here in Poland, to face down this Russian aggression.”

The United States deployed a brigade of 3,500 troops to Poland in January and in recent weeks sent hundreds more troops as part of a multinational U.S.-led NATO battalion.

President Donald Trump worried allies during the election campaign last year by describing the Western military alliance as obsolete. Trump recently reversed his position, saying last week: “It’s no longer obsolete.”