US to deploy 5,000 additional troops to Poland, says Trump
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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
This is a breaking news story and may be updated as more details emerge.
The United States will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, President Donald Trump has announced on social media. He said that the decision was made based on the relationship with right-wing Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who is a close ally of Trump.
Given that Poland currently hosts around 10,000 US troops, Trump’s plans would significantly bolster the American military presence. His announcement has been welcomed by Nawrocki and the Polish government.
However, beyond Trump’s post on his social media platform Truth Social, which reportedly caught Pentagon officials by surprise, there are so far no details of what the plans will involve.
The developments come amid great uncertainty over the US military presence in Poland and Europe more broadly. Earlier this month, Trump ordered the withdrawal of around 5,000 troops from Germany. Poland then indicated its willingness to host those forces if the US kept them in Europe.
Shortly afterwards, news emerged that a planned rotational deployment of almost 4,000 troops to Poland had been cancelled at the last minute. That prompted Polish leaders to seek assurances from Washington about the size and strength of the US military presence in Poland going forward.
In another unexpected development, Trump issued his new statement on Truth Social on Thursday.
“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,” he wrote.
During Nawrocki’s presidential election campaign last year, Trump invited him to the Oval Office. His then-homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, then visited Poland to offer a clear endorsement of Nawrocki ahead of the election.
Since Nawrocki took office, the pair have continued to enjoy close relations, with the Polish president’s first foreign visit being another trip to the White House. After that meeting, Trump said that he was considering sending more troops to Poland.
In a post on X late on Thursday in response to Trump’s latest announcement, Nawrocki “thanked US President Donald J Trump for his friendship toward Poland and for the decisions whose practical dimension we see very clearly today”.
I stand and will continue to stand guard over the Polish-American alliance–a vital pillar of security for every Polish home and for all of Europe.
Good alliances are those based on cooperation, mutual respect, and a commitment to our shared security.I thank U.S. President…
— Karol Nawrocki (@NawrockiKn) May 21, 2026
Trump’s announcement was also welcomed by figures from Poland’s more liberal government, which is bitterly opposed to Nawrocki on most issues but has sought to present a more united front on national security.
“Presiden Trump’s decision to send 5,000 additional soldiers to Poland confirms that Polish-American relations are very strong, and Poland is a model and steadfast ally,” wrote defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
“An additional 5,000 American soldiers will arrive in Poland. A tremendous effort and an equally tremendous success,” wrote interior minister Marcin Kierwiński, who then pointedly thanked Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland’s chargé d’affaires in Washington, and the armed forces – but not Nawrocki.
Piotr Müller of the national-conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, however, wrote that the development was “the result of [Trump’s] excellent relationship with President Nawrocki”. He said that Prime Minister Donald Tusk should “take notes” on how to conduct foreign and security policy.
Dodatkowe 5 tysięcy amerykańskich żołnierzy przyjdzie do Polski. Ogromna praca i równie ogromny sukces wszystkich, ktorym leży na sercu bezpieczeństwo Ojczyzny. Szczególne ukłony za tytaniczną pracę: @KosiniakKamysz, @CTomczyk, @BogdanKlich i @SztabGenWP.
— Marcin Kierwiński (@MKierwinski) May 22, 2026
There remains uncertainty about what Trump’s announcement means in practice. Paweł Żuchowski, the US correspondent for RMF, a leading Polish broadcaster, said he had sought confirmation as to whether the US president was referring to new troops or sending the previously cancelled rotational contingent.
“The Pentagon referred me to the White House…The White House in turn referred me to President Trump’s account on Truth [Social],” Żuchowski wrote on X. “Today we’re unlikely to learn anything more.”
The New York Times reports that Trump’s announcement “caught Pentagon officials by surprise” and “left a raft of unanswered questions”. It noted that the Pentagon has so far refused to comment publicly.
Polish deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk, who is in Washington, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that the details of what Trump’s announcement means in practice would now be worked out with the head of United States European Command, General Alexus Grynkewich.
Poland's Deputy Defense Minister @CTomczyk tells me the details of what POTUS announced regarding 5000 additional troops actually means in practice will be worked out with the EUCOM Commander Gen Grynkewich.
"This is what we agreed on with the Americans" he says.— Oskar Górzyński (@OskarGie) May 21, 2026
On Thursday morning, Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski appeared to suggest that Trump had, in fact, been referring to sending the previously cancelled rotational troops and that there would not be a significant increase in the size of US forces in Poland.
“I want to thank President Trump for announcing that the rotation, that is, the presence of American troops in Poland, will be maintained more or less at the current level,” said Sikorski ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden, reports PAP.
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: White House (under public domain)
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