WARSAW, Poland –
U.S. and Polish officials inaugurated a NATO missile defence base in northern Poland on Wednesday, with Polish officials welcoming it as a significant step in securing the country and the NATO alliance at a time of war in neighbouring Ukraine.
The U.S. missile defence base, which is being integrated into NATO’s defences, was originally planned under U.S. President George W. Bush as a way to protect Europe from ballistic threats from Iran. Poland, however, has always seen it as a form of U.S. protection in case of Russia aggression, fears that have grown since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin protested the plan from the start, and on Wednesday denounced the base as a challenge to its own military potential that would require measures “to ensure parity.”
Polish officials, who gathered with the U.S. …