Poland, U.S. hold talks on establishing permanent American military bases

WARSAW, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Poland and the United States are holding talks on establishing permanent U.S. military bases in Poland, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski told state broadcaster TVP on Wednesday.

"We have already completed the preliminary stage of the process, not to mention the political will, which was expressed long ago," Zalewski said. He added that the United States had formed a team for the talks.

The talks came after the United States last week launched a formal review of its military presence in Europe, aimed at pushing the continent to assume "primary responsibility for its conventional defense."

According to data compiled by the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations, tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel are stationed in Germany, Poland, Italy and other European countries.