According to reports from Bloomberg and Euronews, the US President emphasized good relations with President Karol Nawrocki. That same night, at 10:25 PM Polish time, Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz published a post on platform X, declaring Poland’s readiness to accept another contingent. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, noted on Friday that “no decisions have been made” on the matter — this information is reported by Polsat News.
Context of the Pentagon’s Decision
According to Stars and Stripes, on May 1, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (publicly using the title Secretary of War since September 2025, based on President Trump’s executive order) ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 American soldiers from Germany within 6-12 months. Three days later, Trump announced that the final number could be “significantly larger” — this information was reported by the Washington Times. Currently, approximately 36,000 US soldiers are stationed in Germany, and the United States maintains about 85,000 soldiers across Europe.
Stars and Stripes indicates that the withdrawal will most likely affect the 2nd Cavalry Regiment — a Stryker brigade from Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Bavaria. The newspaper also emphasizes that moving a full brigade along with soldiers’ families would require significant infrastructure expansion in Poland in a very short time. At this stage, there is no official Pentagon decision to move troops to Poland — it is a political possibility, not an administrative resolution.
Polish Positions — Different Tones
On Wednesday, May 6, President Karol Nawrocki, during joint Brave Griffin exercises in Lithuania near the Suwałki Gap, stated: “We have the necessary infrastructure. I will encourage Trump to keep these soldiers in Europe.” The quote is reported by Stars and Stripes. On the same day, similar declarations were made by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski during the Defence24 Days conference in Warsaw.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk adopted a more restrained tone on the matter. According to Stars and Stripes, the head of government stated that Poland should not “poach” soldiers from Western European allies.
Kosiniak-Kamysz’s post reads: “The Polish-American alliance is the foundation of our security. Poland is ready to accept more American soldiers to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and better protect Europe.”
Key Facts
- What: Trump in a conversation with journalists at the White House (May 8 evening): moving soldiers from Germany to Poland “possible.” Secretary of State Rubio: “No decisions” have been made.
- Polish reactions: Nawrocki (May 6, Lithuania), Sikorski (Defence24 Days), Kosiniak-Kamysz (X, May 8, 10:25 PM) — readiness. Tusk — against “poaching” soldiers from allies.
- Sources: Bloomberg, Stars and Stripes, Euronews, Washington Times, Polsat News, X (@KosiniakKamysz).
Visit poland.us — we are following the topic further. For a detailed catalog of Polish-American businesses and institutions in the USA, please refer to PolishPages.com.
📱 Download the PolishPages app:
App Store (iPhone) | Google Play (Android)
