Confirmation of obligations under Article 5 of the NATO pact and a declaration of military cooperation with Poland, including in the area of military investment, were included in the Pentagon’s budget for 2020 passed by the US Senate on Tuesday.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump had announced that he would sign the bill immediately after it was adopted by the US Congress.
The plan, supported by the majority of Republicans and Democrats, says that Poland has been a valuable ally in NATO since 1999 and an important ally of the US. It pointed out that Polish troops have made significant contributions to operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and in the fight against Islamic State, and that Poland spends 2 percent of its GDP on defence.
The document also endorses further cooperation with Warsaw in the field of defence and in pursuing opportunities for military cooperation, infrastructure improvement and defence investments with Poland. It adds that current and planned projects funded by the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) should be fully implemented.
The bipartisan project also provides sanctions on companies building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which will connect Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea. The project is opposed by Poland and other Central European states, as well as the USA, as it entails significantly decreasing the flow of gas through Ukraine.