Sikorski: NATO 3.0 will be with the US as cavalry behind the hill, not infantry in place, Putin is not as strong as he seemed

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski said today that today's Europe, unlike the post-war era, is rich enough to pay for its own security and that the United States (USA) will be present in the changed NATO pact (sometimes called NATO 3.0), but no longer as infantry in Europe, but as cavalry waiting behind the hill.

"NATO 3.0 will be with the US as cavalry behind the hill, not infantry in place. I believe that we, Europe, are much richer than in the 1950s and we are obliged to guarantee our own security. It has turned out that Putin is not as strong as he seemed. Over the course of 13 years, he has not managed to conquer the entire Donbas," Sikorski said in an interview with the Polish news agency PAP.

The Polish Foreign Minister warned that it is logical for US troops, if they are in Europe, to be where the threat is greatest, on NATO's eastern flank.

Sikorski added that the Polish government has sent Washington an offer and proposal to establish another American base in addition to the US anti-missile shield base in Redjików and the rotational presence of around 10.000 US soldiers in Poland.

Sikorski assessed that unlike last year, when the initiative on the front in Ukraine was on the side of Russia, things are now turning around.

"Now it is unresolved at sea because both Russia and Ukraine have the ability to export their goods, if they do not already have complete freedom of navigation. It is also unresolved in the air, because neither country can freely operate aircraft on the territory of the other, but both can attack with drones and ballistic missiles," said Sikorski.

Sikorski told Russian President Vladimir Putin that in a situation where he is facing queues at gas stations due to fuel shortages, he had better "start looking for a political solution and reduce his ambitions, before it's too late."