As he noted, he considers Nawrocki an effective and strong politician, which is why he regards such a scenario as realistic. He made these remarks in response to a question from Polskie Radio correspondent Marek Wałkuski during a meeting at the White House.
Last week, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth decided to withdraw approximately 5,000 American soldiers from Germany. The process is to be carried out over the next 6–12 months. Shortly afterward, Donald Trump announced that the scale of the reduction could be even greater than previously announced.
Will American troops move to Poland?
There are currently between 35,000 and 37,000 US soldiers stationed in Germany. As early as 2020, Trump announced the withdrawal of 9,500 troops, arguing that Berlin was insufficiently committed to fulfilling its NATO obligations. At the time, some of the forces were supposed to be transferred to Poland, but those plans were not implemented.
Czy popierasz stacjonowanie wojsk US Army w naszym regionie?
Reactions from the Polish authorities
During his visit to Lithuania on Wednesday, President Karol Nawrocki emphasized that if the Donald Trump administration decides to reduce its military presence in Germany, Poland is ready to accept American soldiers.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk also addressed the matter. Asked about the possibility of transferring some US troops to Poland, he noted that our country remains one of the United States’ closest allies. He added that both the White House and European partners understand Poland’s strategic importance in the context of the war being fought beyond its eastern border. Representatives of the Polish government have declared their readiness to accept some of the American troops withdrawn from Germany.
Troops from Germany could move to Bolesławiec, Żagań and Świętoszów
If the US were to decide to increase its military presence in Poland, the most likely locations would be Bolesławiec, Żagań and Świętoszów. All of these towns already play an important role in NATO infrastructure and regularly host American units as part of the rotational presence of US troops.
The area around Żagań and Świętoszów is currently of greatest importance, as elements of American armored and logistics brigades have been stationed there for several years. The area has extensive training grounds, technical facilities and infrastructure designed to accommodate heavy military equipment.
In Bolesławiec, in addition to soldiers from US Army rotational brigade combat teams, there are also rotational command and support elements that coordinate the ongoing presence of troops in the region.