On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden announced his country's intention to establish a permanent headquarters for the US fifth army corps in Poland.
"This is definitely the beginning of a permanent presence, permanent bases in our part of Europe," Rau told reporters after the end of the summit.
Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 in response to calls by the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics for protection from Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the goal of the operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, is to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine, and to completely liberate Donbas.