Trump announces deployment of 5,000 additional US troops to Poland in major policy reversal

The step marks a clear reversal of his previous moves to reduce the American military footprint in Europe, which were intended to punish NATO for failing to provide sufficient support regarding the war in Iran.

Trump announced the deployment decision on social media with few details, indicating that it was linked to the election of Polish President Karol Nawrocki last year:

“Based on the successful election of current Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom I was proud to support, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will send 5,000 more troops to Poland. Thank you for your interest in this matter!”

The announcement comes shortly after his administration declared the abrupt cancellation of a major military exercise in Poland and revealed plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany.

A Polish official and a NATO representative expressed surprise at the decision, stating that the administration had not consulted with allies beforehand.

Trump has long been a critic of NATO, consistently demanding that European nations increase their defense spending within the alliance.

As POLITICO previously reported, the Polish military had received warnings that the Pentagon decided last week to cancel a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to the country.

Vice President JD Vance denied those reports during a press conference on Tuesday, telling reporters that the scheduled deployment had been postponed rather than canceled, following condemnation of the move by Republican members of Congress.

The development follows the Pentagon’s announcement earlier this month outlining plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from military bases in Germany.

That decision was made after Trump clashed with the German leadership over the war in Iran.

Nawrocki had stated earlier this month that he would ask Trump to deploy troops to his country. Following his remarks, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Romania also began competing to secure an increased US military presence within their borders.

Elected in June 2025 with the backing of the nationalist-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which is currently in opposition, Nawrocki has largely aligned himself with the Trump administration since taking office. This stance has placed him on a collision course with Poland’s pro-EU Prime Minister, Donald Tusk.

Tusk previously stated that Poland would seize “every opportunity” to increase the US military presence in the country, but cautioned against “stealing” troops from other European allies.

Meanwhile, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated at a defense conference in Warsaw earlier this month that additional US troops “would be welcome in Poland,” regardless of where they were originally deployed.