This is of a breakthrough character because it moves us to another era. So far, we can say that the Americans were testing the situation in Poland: how it looks, how it feels; what about logistics; whether it is possible to stay in Poland and to successfully attain the goals and implement the tasks of defensive nature.
I think that the commanders of U.S. Army are convinced that this is simply possible. And today, the documents speaks about this enduring presence - the presence which is a fact and which will stay there.
It is a rotational presence, (inaudible) because this is most beneficial from today's perspective to train soldiers through rotational presence. By having rotational presence, more soldiers can come to a country, be present there, look at a culture and the condition in place in a given country. So this is beneficial for this, (inaudible) understood a development of the armed forces. Therefore, this is an enduring presence. However, it is implementing this particular way.
And we hope it's going to develop 1,000 troops, mentioned by President Trump today, which is also - the numbers stipulated in the agreement signed today is very differentiated. It is not one single unit. We are talking about special operation forces. We are talking about logistics component. We are also talking about the already-mentioned division headquarters.
So there is a multitude of forums in which the United States is going to be gradually evermore present in our territory, from the military standpoint. And this will encompass different fields of cooperation. So we're not talking about just one single beat, but we're talking about a more comprehensive cooperation. We're talking about logistics, (inaudible) protection for soldiers, and a number of other elements happening.
Please remember that, right now, there is this missile defense facility being built in Redzikowo. So, talking about the elements of Polish-American cooperation, there are more and more of these elements, and the number is growing. I'm very happy with that. Thank you very much.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Let's see, who do I like? (Laughter.) Nobody. That's the end. (Laughter.)
Go ahead. Yeah.
Q Me? Mr. President, thank you very much. President Duda, thank you.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I was pointing at you, but you can go ahead. Here we go.
Q You were pointing to -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I was actually pointing to my friend with that beautiful hat on, but that's okay.
Q Jeff Mason. All right, well -
PRESIDENT TRUMP: You'll give up your question?
Q Well, I'll give him my follow-up question.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: You'll give up your -
Q We can share it.
Q We'll share the question.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Huh? Okay. We'll share it. Good.
Q Mr. President, you seemed to suggest, yesterday, that you're essentially committing to not spying on North Korea. Is that what you meant? Were those comments interpreted accurately? If so, why?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, it's not what I meant. It's what I said. And that's - I think it's different than maybe your interpretation. I think we're going to do very well with North Korea over a period of time. I'm in no rush. The sanctions are on. We got our hostages back. Our remains are coming back; you saw the beautiful ceremony in Hawaii with Mike Pence. We're getting the remains back. There's been no nuclear testing whatsoever. They'd like to do something. I did get, you know, a very - as I said yesterday, a very nice letter from Chairman Kim. And I think we're doing very well.
When I took over as President, I will tell you, it looked like it was going to be war with North Korea. You know that. Everybody knows that. And it was going to be quite brutal. A strong force. We're the strongest force in the world, but that's a strong force.
And we started off a very rough relationship, and I think we have a very good relationship right now. So we'll see what happens. I'm in no rush. I'm in no rush.
But there's been no nuclear testing whatsoever. And when I took over, it was nuclear testing all the time. And if you look back to the last four, five, six years - but really go back further than that. In all fairness to President Obama, go back 20 years, 15 years. It was, really, a very dangerous situation. I consider it to be different now.
Now, I may change. And if I change, you will know it very quickly. I will be very quick to tell you exactly what's going on. I may change. But right now, we have a good relationship, and I think, probably, better than we've had for maybe 25 years, maybe forever.
You know, they've been there a long time - the grandfather, the father, the son. And they've been there for a long time, and nobody has done anything except me. And so we'll see how it all turns out. I hope it turns out well for you and for everybody.
Q And I'll give my follow-up to Jeff. Very quickly, President Duda, thank you. Do you see Russia as an ally or an adversary?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Are you talking to me?
Q To President Duda.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Boy, was that a set-up question. (Laughter.)
PRESIDENT DUDA: (As interpreted.) I would very much like Russia to be a friend of Poland because it is our great neighbor. It is a country much bigger than Poland, with a bigger potential than Poland in every single respect - except for one, perhaps. I believe that we have got more courage in us - that we are more brave, more courageous, and are able to fight until the end, irrespective of everything.
This is actually what we demonstrated in World War Two, at the Battle of Monte Cassino. We demonstrated that in the Warsaw Uprising. We demonstrated that in many other places around the globe where Polish soldiers died to make sure that Poland is free after the Second World War.
This, unfortunately, did not happen. We found ourselves under the Russian occupation. But even then, for almost 20 years, after World War Two, there was this anti-Communist, anti-Soviet underground, which fought against the Soviets, and those people were murdered. Today, we call them "Unbreakable Soldiers." We commemorate their memory, although they were dug underground to make it impossible for anyone to find their remains and so that they couldn't have graves built.
So we were always fighting. We always knew how to defend ourselves. Nevertheless, history was brutal towards us. We never had a great friendship with Russia. Russia was always looking out to take our territory. It was a partitioner in Poland for 123 years. Poland did not exist because part of the territory was taken by Russia.
Poles were deported to the east. Then came an aggression on the right - on the recently reborn Poland, which rose in 1918 from the ashes of the First World War. And in 1919, the Soviet Russia attacked Poland. It wanted to grab Poland's territory and bring communism to the west of Europe. It was us who stopped Soviets at Warsaw in 1920.
By the bravery of Polish soldiers, we defeated them during a great battle. And then we chased them back to the east. And then they took their revenge on us in 1939 by attacking us, together with Nazi Germany, and murdering our officers in Katyn.
So, madam, as you can see, this friendship is a very difficult one. Today, we are in the following situation: Russia attacked Georgia. Then, in 2014, it attacked Ukraine. And these are facts. These are facts which belong to the recent history.
We would like Russia to be our friend, but unfortunately, Russia again is showing its very unkind, unpleasant, imperial face, and we do not want to be part of Russia's sphere of influence.
And I am happy that today we can speak boldly, also in connection with the military presence of the U.S. and NATO in Poland, that we truly are, first and foremost, in terms of politics, part of the West. Because we have always been part of the West, in terms of culture. We have always been part of the West, because it is from the West from which we adopted Christianity in 966, more than 1,000 years ago. And since that time, we have been part of the West of Europe. We have been part of the great Christian culture of Western Europe.
But we have to stick to this West also, in terms of politics. And this is what we want - and I firmly believe that this is the biggest desire of Polish people: to be part of the West also in terms of politics.
Thank you that the United States is supporting us in this respect.
