Poland will lead post-war reconstruction of Eurasia, US ambassador says

Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) – Poland is now a humanitarian superpower and will lead post-war reconstruction in Eurasia, US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski said on Wednesday in Warsaw.

"This is a catalytic moment that could reshape not only Central and Eastern Europe but the whole Eurasian area," Brzezinski said at a conference organized by the American Chamber of Commerce.

Ukraine reconstruction will probably cost $1 trillion, he said. "This will create opportunities and we may see a moment very soon where the weaker parts of the former Soviet bloc can be raised up to the Polish level."

He further said: "Poland is 100% safe and secure, we have thousands of US troops here. I want to stress that. US President Joe Biden told me personally that NATO will protect every inch of Polish soil."

​​​​​​​Biden visited Poland in February on the first anniversary of Russia's war on Ukraine.

Energy security, the ambassador said, is national security.

"Even before Russia's weaponization of energy, Poland was shifting away from Russian energy dependence.

"We in the US are supporting liquified natural gas, wind energy, and small modular reactors. Westinghouse working on Poland's first nuclear power station is a historic partnership that will define our relationship for decades," Brzezinski added.

Washington has played an important role in supporting Poland's security since the Ukraine war. In June 2022, Biden announced the setting up of a permanent US military base in Poland, the first on NATO's eastern flank.

Warsaw has made arms purchases from the US, including Abrams tanks, Patriot missile systems and HIMARS rocket launchers, and the US is the primary source of LNG that Poland is using to replace imports of Russian energy supplies.