Ukrainian troops, EU armies can cut need for US military presence in Europe

He said this on Espreso TV. 

“Ukraine should join NATO as soon as possible. Sweden and Finland have shown that you do not need MAP to become a NATO member. The Ukrainian army is well prepared to become a NATO member. The Armed Forces are currently being rearmed at a frantic pace to NATO standards. We already have NATO-type weapons, and next year we will have even more NATO weapons. Ukraine needs security guarantees. And security guarantees mean nuclear weapons. Back in 2009, during the Russian-Belarusian exercises, Putin threatened Poland with nuclear weapons. At first, these threats were not taken seriously, that there could be some kind of nuclear attack,” Czech said.

Mirosław Czech added that the Ukrainian Armed Forces, along with other EU armies, have combat potential.

“When we take into account the big geopolitics, the importance of NATO's Eastern flank, the issue of Ukraine, we are talking about security guarantees for Ukraine. What does Ukraine give to NATO's Eastern Flank and the EU's Eastern Flank? This is an important component. Together, the Ukrainian, Romanian, Turkish, Polish, Finnish, and Swedish armies have their own combat potential, not including nuclear, but ranging from aviation to special operations forces. These armies are quietly minimizing the need for the presence of the US military in Europe. If we calculate this potential and the likely potential of Russia, even if it resumes in 10-15 years, it will be proportional,” he emphasized.

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken believes that ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are impossible at this time.

• On April 7, as part of a mission with NATO, Romanian F-16 fighters identified and intercepted two Russian Su-27s in the Baltic airspace.