Poland ready to host more US troops to bolster NATO’s eastern flank: Defense minister

Poland is ready to host additional US troops to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank and strengthen Europe’s security, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Saturday.

“The Polish-American alliance is the foundation of our security,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said through US social media company X.

“Poland is ready to receive additional American soldiers in order to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and provide even better protection for Europe,” he added.

The comments came after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans to withdraw around 5,000 troops from Germany, with US President Donald Trump signaling the possibility of further reductions.

Germany currently hosts around 35,000-37,000 US personnel, forming a central hub for US operations in Europe.

Poland has for years sought a stronger and more permanent US military presence, viewing it as a key deterrent against Russia following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Warsaw has significantly increased defense spending and expanded cooperation with Washington, hosting rotational US forces, logistics hubs, and missile defense systems.

The prospect of US troop reductions has raised concerns in European capitals about the long-term commitment of Washington to NATO.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the greatest threat to the alliance is not external, but internal fragmentation. “The ongoing disintegration of our alliance” must be reversed, Tusk said recently, urging closer transatlantic coordination.

A NATO spokeswoman said the alliance is working with US authorities to clarify the scope and implications of the planned drawdown.