Trump says US will send 5,000 more troops to Poland amid Europe cuts

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States will send 5,000 additional troops to Poland, describing the move as a show of support for the NATO ally after the election of President Karol Nawrocki.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Based on the successful election of the now president of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, whom 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.”

Also Read | Australia fights biggest diphtheria outbreak in decades as cases cross 230

A curious march

The announcement came days after the Pentagon cancelled the deployment of about 4,000 troops to Poland as part of a wider reduction of US forces in Europe, according to Al Jazeera.

The Trump administration had said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, while US officials confirmed that about 4,000 service members were no longer deploying to Poland. The halted deployment involved the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, a Texas-based unit that had been preparing to rotate into Poland and Eastern Europe.

Wrapped in ambiguity

The Pentagon has not confirmed whether Trump’s newly announced 5,000 troops are the same personnel whose deployment was cancelled earlier this month or whether they would be sent from elsewhere in Europe, including Germany.

The US officials said the announcement created fresh uncertainty after weeks of changing signals from the administration about troop levels on the continent. Al Jazeera reported that the White House and Pentagon had released few other details about the deployment.

Also Read | Pakistan’s Asim Munir heads to Tehran as US-Iran talks show cautious progress

Allies raise a toast, yet keep an eyebrow raised

Trump’s announcement drew a mixed response in Poland.

Nawrocki welcomed the move and called the Polish-American alliance “a vital pillar of security for every Polish home and for all of Europe.” Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski also backed the announcement, saying it would ensure that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”

Poland currently hosts about 10,000 US troops, largely on a rotational basis.