Trump spoke to reporters during a meeting with visiting Polish President Karol Nawrocki. While the prospect of a US troop drawdown in Europe has been a recurring topic since the start of Trump’s presidency, Trump made clear troops in Poland would stay.
The U.S. will maintain its military presence in Poland and may even increase it, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday as he met his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki.
The two leaders spoke to the media ahead of talks in the White House, which are expected to center on the stalled negotiations to end the war in Ukraine and Poland’s own security concerns.
Nawrocki was honored with a military flyover as he arrived for the meeting—his first foray abroad since being sworn in as head of state in August.
While Trump has long emphasized his support for Poland, which has led the way in increasing defense spending within NATO, persistent rumors of a potential withdrawal of U.S. troops from Poland and eastern Europe have been swirling for a long time.
Asked whether he is intending to keep his soldiers in Poland, Trump said that he is. “I think so—if anything we’ll put more there, if they want,” he said.
“They’ve long wanted a larger presence. We have some countries that have more—not too many—but they [the soldiers] will be staying in Poland, we’re very much aligned with Poland.”
Nawrocki said American troops in Poland sent a signal to the world, and particularly to Russia, that “we are together.” He also stressed that Poland is not “one of the free riders in Europe and NATO” and vowed his presidency would see defense spending rise to 5% of GDP.
Praising the U.S.-Polish relationship as “very special” and marked by “great trust,” Trump denied he had ever considered reducing the troop presence.
“We never even thought in terms of removing soldiers from Poland,” he said. “We do think about it with regard to other countries, but we’re with Poland all the way and we will help Poland protect itself.”
Commenting on Trump’s remarks, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said they were “important words” that demonstrated the “timeless nature” of the Warsaw-Washington alliance.
The U.S. has a permanent presence in the central-eastern European state, including its V Corps in the western city of Poznań, as well as a rotational American presence which together form a key element of NATO’s mission on its eastern flank, aimed at deterring Russian aggression. In total, the U.S. has over 8,000 military personnel in Poland.
While Nawrocki, a conservative president, stands in opposition to the centrist government of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, he has been urged to cooperate on foreign policy. Tusk’s top defense official, minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that Nawrocki’s visit to Washington will be considered a success if it ensures the continued presence of U.S. troops in Europe and Poland.
Following Trump and Nawrocki’s press conference, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said it showed Poland is united on key international issues.
“On matters of security, deterring Putin, and supporting Ukraine, the government, the president, and the opposition speak with one voice,” he posted on the X platform.
At the photo call with Nawrocki, Trump also addressed his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In response to a question from the press, he denied having taken no action against Russia, pointing out that he had imposed secondary sanctions on India, one of Moscow’s key energy clients.
On Tuesday, Trump said he was disappointed in Putin, adding that his administration planned some action to reduce deaths in the war. But on Wednesday he said he had no message for Putin as the Russian president already knew his position, adding that Washington’s relationship with Moscow would become clear in the coming week or two.