The United States is sending a thousand soldiers to Poland as a preventive measure against Russian aggression. The American president Donald Trump stated this during a joint press conference with the Polish president Andrzej Duda in the White House.

Duda is visiting Washington to talk about US military support to Poland. According to the Polish president, his country needs that support because of “the aggressive attitude of Moscow in the past”.

“Once again, Russia is showing its unfriendly, imperialist face,” Duda said during the joint press conference. “Russia is constantly out to take our territory.”

A thousand men Trump has now promised, however, are part of a temporary operation, according to the American president. They are likely to be transferred from the US military base in Germany.

“I hope that Poland will maintain a good relationship with Russia, and I hope that the United States will have a good relationship with Russia,” said Trump. American troops have been present in Poland since 2016. This happened in response to the Russian annexation of the Crimean region in Ukraine in 2014.

In two weeks, a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled in Japan.