The announcement follows confusion over a delayed troop rotation to Poland and a planned drawdown from Germany
US President Donald Trump has announced that Washington will send 5,000 additional troops to Poland, citing his support for the country’s conservative president, Karol Nawrocki.
The move comes after the Pentagon abruptly canceled a planned rotation of 4,000 US troops into Poland last week, triggering confusion among Polish officials. Vice President J.D. Vance later described the pause as a delay rather than a reduction, saying the media had “overreacted.”
“Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday.
Trump’s announcement follows his decision to withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany amid growing tensions with Berlin over the US-Israeli war against Iran. The president has previously suggested the troops could be moved to Poland, touting his “great relationship” with Nawrocki, who defeated the pro-EU liberal candidate of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s party last year.
The White House and the Pentagon have yet to clarify whether the “additional troops” Trump promised are the same brigade whose rotation was paused or the force being pulled from Germany.
Trump has repeatedly accused European NATO members of failing to pay enough for their defense, while treating troop deployments as a political reward or punishment. The White House has reportedly drawn up a “naughty and nice” list of NATO members based on their support for Washington’s policies, including the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Washington currently has around 80,000 troops stationed across Europe, including more than 38,000 in Germany, according to a Council on Foreign Relations analysis. Poland, which hosts about 10,000 US troops, has been one of Washington’s closest military partners in Europe and a “model ally,” according to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Reuters reported earlier this week that the Pentagon also plans to “significantly scale down” the pool of US forces and capabilities that NATO’s European members could rely on during a major crisis under the bloc’s NATO Force Model.
Moscow has repeatedly condemned the growing militarization of Europe, arguing that Western governments are using a fabricated Russian threat to justify turning the EU into a military bloc and to distract from domestic problems.
