WARSAW, Poland — President Barack Obama arrived in Poland on Friday, launching a two-day visit aimed at assuring the Poles that the United States is a steadfast ally even as it works closely with old Polish nemesis Russia.
He will stress that his “reset” of relations with Russia doesn’t weaken U.S. relations with Central Europe, which remains wary of Moscow after almost 50 years of Soviet domination.
Poland grew nervous about the relationship in 2009 when Obama dropped Bush-era development of a missile defense system based partly in Poland. Polish leaders had backed the defense system in the face of intense domestic opposition. They feared that Obama was stopping the development to appease the Russians, who saw the missile defense as provocative and aimed at countering them despite U.S. denials.
The administration thought that “the reset of our relationship with Russia would be good for Eastern Europe and the security of Europe generally,” said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. “I think understandably at the very beginning of the administration there was some concern that if there was a reset with Russia, would it come at the expense of Europe. What we have found recently is that these countries very much came to support the reset.”
Obama is visiting Poland now also in part to make up for last year, when he had to cancel plans to attend the funeral of Poland’s president because volcanic ash from Iceland grounded European air traffic.
In a key concession, Obama is expected to announce that the U.S. will reposition 16 F-16s from Aviano, Italy, to a base in Lask, in central Poland. The U.S. jets and crews are to be based there at least through 2013.
He also is likely to talk with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk about the planned deployment of U.S. SM-3 interceptors in Poland.
Obama dined with leaders of Poland and other Central European nations Friday evening.
