Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced on Wednesday that Poland is prepared to accommodate American troops being withdrawn from Germany. He expressed his intention to personally advocate for this initiative to former President Donald Trump.
This proposal arises as the Pentagon gears up to reduce its military presence in Germany by approximately 5,000 troops over the next year, with Trump indicating that further reductions may be considered.
“If President Donald Trump decides to reduce the American military presence in Germany, then we in Poland are ready to receive American soldiers,” Nawrocki stated during NATO exercises in Lithuania.
Nawrocki’s comments follow a warning from Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who cautioned earlier in the week that Poland should not seek to “poach” troops from its allies. Tusk mentioned that while Poland would seize “any opportunity” to bolster the U.S. military presence within its borders, he would not permit the country to be used as a means to disrupt European unity.
The Prime Minister’s remarks have been met with criticism from the opposition Law and Justice party, which is aligned with Nawrocki. They accused Tusk of placing Berlin’s interests ahead of Polish security. The political rivalry between Tusk and Nawrocki has intensified over various issues.
Ongoing discussions between Poland and the U.S.
Discussions regarding the potential expansion of the U.S. military presence in Poland are actively taking place “at both the military and diplomatic levels,” according to Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki. He noted that while Poland would not object to having troops relocated from Germany, it did not initially seek their withdrawal from Germany.
Furthermore, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski addressed a defense conference in Warsaw, affirming that additional U.S. forces “will be welcome in Poland” regardless of their point of redeployment.
Currently, Poland hosts roughly 10,000 U.S. troops, while Germany maintains a contingent of around 36,000.