US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States will send 5,000 more troops to Poland, which is clearly the opposite of his efforts to reduce the presence of US forces in Europe.to punish NATOfor lack of support for the Iran war.
Trump released the announcement on social media with few details, suggesting it was linked to last year’s election of nationalist President Karol Nawrocki. The announcement came shortly after his administrationhe suddenly canceled a major training exercisein Poland – later he said that it was just too late – andhe said it will withdraw5,000 soldiers from Germany.
The Pentagon referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the announcement.
A Polish official and a NATO representative, who did not want to be named to discuss internal developments, said they were surprised by the decision, which the administration did not discuss with allies in advance.
Trump has long been a critic of NATO and wanted European countries to increase spending on the organization. He tooHe often showed angeron the refusal of some member states to support the US war with Israel and Iran.
The Polish army waswarned that the Pentagondecided to cancel the deployment of 4,000 troops to the country last week –blinding the countryandamazing US defense officials– POLITICO previously reported.
Vice President JD Vance later dismissed those reports at a press conference Tuesday, telling reporters that the planned deployment had been delayed but not canceled after Republican lawmakers.he condemned the move.
That came after the Pentagonannounced plans to withdraw5,000 troops from military bases in Germany earlier this month following Trump’s standoff with the country’s leader over the Iran war. Nawrockihe said earlier this monththat he would ask Trump to send troops to his country. Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Romania toohe tried to increase the US military presencein their countries following the announcement.
“Based on the successful Election of the current President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, whom I was proud to support, and our relationship with him, I am happy to announce that the United States will send 5,000 more Soldiers to Poland,” the president said in his social media post. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Nawrocki, who waselected in June 2025with the support of the Nationalist Law and Justice party, has largely aligned with the Trump administration since taking office –putting him on a collision courseand the prime minister of the country who supports the European Union, Donald Tusk.
Tusk previously said that Poland would take “any opportunity” to increase the US military presence in the country but warned against “poaching” troops from other allies in Europe. Polish officials discussed the presence of US troops in their region with Trump administration officials in Washington this week, according toPolish readingof the meeting.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, meanwhile, told a defense conference in Warsaw earlier this month that additional US forces “will be welcome in Poland” regardless of where they are initially stationed.
POLITICO previously reported that U.S. defense officialswere surprised by Trump’s earlier announcementthat he would withdraw troops from Germany – that made a big differencereview of the whole monthand the Pentagon for its global troop footprint. The move has come after German Chancellor Friedrich Merzhe said publiclyWashington was “humiliated by the Iranian leadership.”
Still, Trump has proposed cutsit can go furthertelling reporters that “we are cutting more than 5,000 troops” in Germany.
Paul McLeary contributed to this report.
