Polish President Karol Nawrocki has said his country is ready for any US troops who may be redeployed from Germany.
“I will encourage the US troops leaving German territory to remain in Europe. Poland is ready to accept American soldiers,” declared the opposition Conservatives (PiS)-aligned Nawrocki yesterday, speaking alongside the Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.
Nawrocki’s words contrasted with the stance taken earlier by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who heads the country’s centre-left government. When asked whether Poland should count on the relocation of US troops from Germany to Poland, he replied that it is a “delicate matter”.
“I think we should not, as a state, poach US troops from other European countries. I will not allow Poland to be used in any way to break European solidarity or cooperation,” Tusk declared, with his remarks criticised by Nawrocki’s senior aides as well as the PiS opposition.
On May 1, the Pentagon announced a decision to withdraw approximately 5,000 American soldiers from Germany over the coming year with US President Donald Trump suggesting that the eventual number of troops redeployed maybe even higher.
At a joint press conference yesterday, Nawrocki and Nauseda were asked about the withdrawal of troops from Germany and the possibility of redeploying the personnel to NATO’s eastern flank countries.
Nawrocki, who as Polish President is also the commander-in-chief of his country’s armed forces, was adamant that there was unity in Poland about the presence of US troops.
“There are a few issues that truly unite not only Poles but also political circles across central and eastern Europe but the presence of American troops is certainly one such issue,” he said.
“Regardless of political views, everyone is aware that the presence of American troops, whether in Poland or in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, raises the level of security,” he added.
He stressed that if Trump decides to reduce the US military presence in Germany, “we in Poland are ready to accept American soldiers”.
“We have the infrastructure ready for this, and it is in the interest of both Poland and Lithuania, as well as the Baltic states, that the largest possible number of American soldiers be stationed here,” Nawrocki stated.
“I once again confirm that Poland is ready to accept American soldiers,” he said.
He pointed out that the current centre of gravity of European security lies on NATO’s eastern flank and that therefore Poland and central Europe should be actively trying to persuade the US to shift more troops into the region.
“Therefore, if this is a tactical, strategic shift of soldiers from Germany towards Poland or the Baltic states, we will feel more secure.
“I believe this is a task for the President of Poland, out of concern for Poland, but also for the whole of Europe, to convince President Donald Trump that if he makes such a decision regarding the components in Germany, those soldiers should stay in Europe,” Nawrocki said.
Nausėda agreed with Nawrocki and said: “Europe’s security is indivisible, therefore if these units are withdrawn from Germany, they should, in one way or another, remain in Europe.”
He said he was as willing for Lithuania to host them as Nawrrocki was for Poland to do so.
“For my part, I declare that we are ready to accept them and we are expanding the infrastructure here so that we can accommodate as many such military units as possible,” Nausėda said.
Like Nawrocki, he said the US must be persuaded to strengthen its presence in the region and that everything must be done “to ensure that the US does not turn away from Europe”.
Nauseda and Nawrocki were attending military exercises on defending the Suwalki Gap, the strategic 100-kilometre strip of land along the Polish-Lithuanian border. It is regarded as a critical military choke point because it separates the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the west from Russian-allied Belarus to the east.
The area is regarded as as NATO’s “Achilles’ heel” because controlling it could allow Russia to sever the Baltic states from their European NATO allies.
There are currently 10,000 US troops stationed in Poland on a rotational basis and 1,000 in Lithuania. During a meeting between Nawrocki and Trump in the autumn of last year, the US President assured the Poles he would not be reducing the size of the US troop commitment in the country and hinted he may actually increase it.
The Trump administration has made clear that it sees Poland as a model ally because of the country’s willingness to boost its defence spending.
Next year, Poland plans to spend 5 per cent of its GDP on defence, the target figure that Trump is currently urging all NATO members to meet.
