European Security — 2026-05-07

Poland Lobbies for Redeployment of US Troops Withdrawing from Germany to Eastern Flank

The Trump administration's announced withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany prompted President Nawrocki's chief of staff Zbigniew Bogucki and International Policy Bureau head Marcin Przydacz to publicly call on Warsaw to seek their redeployment to Poland. Przydacz told broadcaster RMF that existing infrastructure could absorb several thousand soldiers within weeks and named northeast Poland near the Kaliningrad and Belarus borders as the preferred site. PM Tusk had cautioned against "poaching" allied forces, but FM Sikorski and Deputy FM Bosacki subsequently declared additional US troops welcome in Poland regardless of origin. Defense Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed military and diplomatic talks with Washington are underway; Poland hosts roughly 10,000 US troops and subsidizes their presence at $15,000 per soldier.

Analysis
Tusk's caution against 'poaching' allied forces lasted less than a news cycle before the foreign and defense ministries publicly contradicted it, indicating Warsaw's political calculus favored alignment over restraint. Named Polish officials, corroborated on Washington-side basing constraints by Stars and Stripes, frame Poland's infrastructure and Suwalki corridor siting as a lower-friction alternative to CONUS repatriation, with absorption feasible within weeks. Stars and Stripes flagged CONUS return as the working default three days prior, so Poland must close its case before Washington's posture decision hardens. No US commitment to redirection has been made, making success unlikely absent White House movement. The bid may also reflect presidential-camp positioning against Tusk as much as a unified national security push.

3 sources

Poland should take advantage of US troop withdrawal from Germany says presidents chief of staff - Notes From Poland
As Trump pulls 5,000 troops from Germany, Poland says send them east - TVP World
Warsaw is ready to pay extra for each US soldier stationed in Poland - Pravda Poland