Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that there is “no alternative” to cooperation with the United States, though he has called for “predictability” from Washington as Warsaw seeks to host more American troops.
He was speaking on May 18 at a ceremony marking the signing of a military contract to set up an authorised service centre for the engines of M1 Abrams tanks.
From the Polish point of view, transatlantic unity was the guarantee of the security and stability of the international order, Tusk said. He described the bond as a safeguard for “the international order that protects the planet from global conflicts”.
“There is no alternative to Polish-American and European-American cooperation,” he said, adding that nurturing those relations was Poland’s task.
Tusk said Warsaw expected “respect and predictability” from its partners. “We will always expect the same as we offer to our closest allies,” he added.
His comments have come after the Pentagon abruptly scrapped the planned deployment of about 4,000 US troops who had been due to rotate into Poland. The move followed Washington’s decision to pull at least 5,000 troops out of bases in Germany over the coming months.
The cancellation, reported by US media and confirmed by Euronews, has been linked to a widening rift between President Donald Trump and Germany over the recent Iran war. A senior NATO official told Euronews that replenishment forces did not factor into the alliance’s deterrence and defence plans.
The decision is still likely to cause disappointment in Warsaw, where there had been weeks of speculation that some of the troops leaving Germany could instead be sent to Poland, seen as central to protecting NATO’s eastern flank against Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Poland’s deputy defence minister Paweł Zalewski told Polish broadcaster TOK FM that the misunderstanding with Washington was being treated as an “incident” that Warsaw hoped to clarify this week.
His remarks coincide with a meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, which is bringing together allied chiefs of staff.
“The whole affair with the troops appears to be being handled by the Pentagon suddenly,” Zalewski said. “I am surprised by this. Until now we have always acted transparently and informed each other about all actions on a continuous basis.”
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has said the country is “ready” to receive troops relocated from Germany. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has played down the impact of the cuts, arguing that the US presence in Europe remains substantial.
The Pentagon has said the withdrawal followed a thorough process and was not a last-minute decision, a position that has done little to ease concern in Warsaw.
