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Warsaw wins battle for US troops.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States will deploy an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, Politico reports.
The move appears to mark a partial reversal after earlier decisions by the Trump administration to reduce the American military presence in Europe over what Washington viewed as insufficient NATO support for the war against Iran.
Trump announced the deployment on social media without providing further details.
At the same time, he made it clear that the decision was linked to the election victory of Polish nationalist President Karol Nawrocki.
“In light of the successful election of current Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom I proudly supported, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote online.
The announcement came shortly after the US administration unexpectedly canceled major military exercises in Poland — though officials later said they had only been postponed — and also revealed plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany.
A Polish official and a NATO representative, both speaking anonymously, said they were caught off guard by the decision because the US administration had not discussed it with allies in advance.
Trump has long criticized NATO and demanded that European countries increase defense spending.
He has also repeatedly expressed frustration that some allies did not support the United States and Israel during the war with Iran.
Last week, Polish military officials were informed that the Pentagon was canceling the planned deployment of 4,000 US troops to Poland.
The decision came as a surprise both to Warsaw and to American defense officials, POLITICO previously reported.
Later, US Vice President JD Vance said during a Tuesday press conference that the deployment had not been permanently canceled but merely postponed. He made the statement after criticism from Republicans in Congress.
