Donald Trump has announced that the United States will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, in an apparent reversal of a recent decision to halt a planned deployment. The US president made the announcement on Truth Social, citing his relationship with Poland’s newly elected president, Karol Nawrocki, whom he endorsed.
The move comes just days after the Pentagon delayed a rotation of 4,000 troops from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division to Poland as part of a broader review of the US force posture in Europe. That decision caught Warsaw by surprise and prompted anxious reactions from Polish leaders, given Russia’s assertive stance in the region and the continuing war in Ukraine.
Poland’s president, Karol Nawrocki, thanked Trump for his friendship, saying he would “stand guard over the Polish-American alliance”. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz also welcomed the decision, saying it confirmed that Polish-American relations were “very strong” and that Poland was an “ironclad ally”.
The announcement came a day before Nato foreign ministers were due to meet in Sweden, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticising alliance members for not doing more to help with the Iran war. Rubio singled out Spain for denying the US use of its bases, questioning why Madrid remained in Nato.
There are currently about 10,000 US troops stationed in Poland, which has positioned itself as a leading US ally in Europe and spends more on defence than most Nato members. The latest deployment adds to existing tensions between Washington and European allies over Trump’s attitude towards the alliance, including his push to acquire Greenland, a territory of Nato member Denmark.
