Poland said it is prepared to host U.S. troops withdrawn from Germany, opening the door to a possible reshuffling of U.S. forces in Europe after President Donald Trump announced plans to pull 5,000 troops from Germany over the next year.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki made the offer during NATO exercises in Lithuania, arguing Poland is ready to host a larger American military presence.
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“If President Donald Trump decides to reduce the American military presence in Germany, then we in Poland are ready to receive American soldiers,” Nawrocki said, adding that the country has the infrastructure ready” for such a move.
The proposal comes amid tensions between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, following the president’s announcement of a troop withdrawal after a public disagreement with the German leader last week.
Still, Polish officials have sought to balance support for closer military ties with Washington against concerns about divisions within NATO.
Earlier this week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Warsaw should not appear to benefit at Germany’s expense. Tusk said Poland would welcome “any opportunity” to increase the U.S. presence on its territory, but would not allow the country to be used to undermine European unity.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki said discussions between the United States and Poland are already underway.
“Talks are taking place at both the military and diplomatic levels,” Bosacki told Polsat News on Wednesday.
The dispute between Trump and Merz was sparked by comments the German chancellor made last week, criticizing Iran and failed diplomatic talks with the U.S.
“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” he told pupils in Marsberg, Germany. “An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards.”
Trump sharply rebuked the remarks, accusing Merz of being weak on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“The Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about! If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage.”
The planned troop withdrawal also drew concern in Congress, with Republican lawmakers warning the move could weaken NATO deterrence against Russia.
ARMED SERVICES GOP CHAIRMEN CRITICIZE WITHDRAWAL OF 5,000 US TROOPS FROM GERMANY
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) said they were “very concerned” by the administration’s decision, and proposed moving the withdrawn troops eastward to maintain a deterrent against Russia.
“Rather than withdrawing forces from the continent altogether, it is in America’s interest to maintain a strong deterrent in Europe by moving these 5,000 U.S. forces to the east,” the congressmen said. “Allies there have made substantial investments to host U.S. troops, reducing costs for the U.S. taxpayer while strengthening NATO’s front line to help deter a far more costly conflict from ever beginning.”
