Donald Trump said on Thursday that "major progress" is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland, crediting the "bold leadership" of Polish President Karol Nawrocki. "If this happens, the location will be announced very soon. This will be a historic step for our Great U.S./Polish Alliance," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The post came despite a formal review of the U.S. military presence in Europe launched by his administration.
How did Warsaw respond? Nawrocki, a conservative ally of the U.S. president, thanked Trump on X and said Poland was "ready to continue our efforts to strengthen our defense cooperation," DW reported. "I can assure you that the Polish government will do its utmost to provide the best possible location for the US Army base," Nawrocki said. Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the Polish president's chancellery, called the announcement "great news for Poland" and said it came on the 87th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland. Nawrocki visited the White House in September 2025, when Trump offered to send more U.S. troops to Poland.
Where do the talks stand? In June, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said the U.S. War Department was open to Poland's proposal for a permanent American troop presence but had not yet made a decision, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reported. That month he met War Secretary Pete Hegseth in Brussels, and at the time Hegseth announced a review of U.S. troop deployments in Europe. In August, Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski said Poland was discussing with the United States the possibility of a permanent U.S. base on its territory, DW reported. "We have already completed the initial stage of the process, not to mention the political will, which was expressed long ago," Zalewski told the public broadcaster TVP.
What is the U.S. presence in Poland now? Nearly 10,000 U.S. soldiers are stationed in Poland, almost exclusively on a rotational basis, DW reported. The administration's review has raised fears among allies that the United States could reduce its military presence in Europe. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022, Poland has pushed for a larger allied presence on NATO's eastern flank. The country spends about 5% of its gross domestic product on defense.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
