Trump suggests moving more US troops to Poland at White House meeting with Nawrocki

Sep 3, 2025 | Defence, Politics

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Donald Trump has praised new Polish President Karol Nawrocki today as the pair met in the White House on Nawrocki’s first foreign trip since taking office. Trump also rejected suggestions that the US could reduce its military presence in Poland, and even claimed more American troops could be stationed there.

“It’s an honour to have you,” Trump told Nawrocki during remarks to the press before the pair began their talks. “The president has been amazing…The people of Poland really love him…He’s doing a really fantastic job.”

“I also endorsed him, so I’m very proud of that. I don’t endorse too many people,” added the US president. During Nawrocki’s election campaign earlier this year, Trump invited him to the White House and sent his national security advisor, Kristi Noem, to Poland, where she called on Poles to vote for Nawrocki.

Asked by a reporter if US troops, around 10,000 of whom are stationed in Poland, would remain there, Trump confirmed that “they’ll be staying in Poland”.

He also praised Poland for being one of the few NATO countries to have consistently spent more on defence than the alliance’s target in recent years.

“We’re very happy. If anything, we’ll put more [troops] there if they want,” he added. “We have a very special relationship…We never even thought in terms of removing soldiers from Poland. We do think about it with regard to other countries but we’re with Poland all the way and we will help Poland protect itself.”

Nawrocki, speaking in English, also celebrated the fact that Poland “is not like the freeriders in Europe and in NATO”. He noted that the country’s defence budget has risen to 4.7% of GDP, the highest level in NATO, and that “we will not stop: we are going to achieve 5% of GDP”.

The Polish president also welcomed the continued presence of US forces in his country, saying that it was “a signal to the whole world, and also to the Russian Federation, that we are together”.

After speaking with the press, the two presidents headed off for talks that are expected to focus on security and trade.

Nawrocki’s election campaign was supported by the national-conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, and since taking office he has regularly clashed with the more liberal, pro-European Union government.

Ahead of today’s White House visit, the Polish foreign ministry said that Nawrocki had broken with tradition by refusing to take a representative of the government with him to meet the US president.

However, the head of Nawrocki’s chancellery denied that there was any such tradition and said that no one from the government had been invited because they enjoy poor relations with Washington.

Today’s remarks by the US president on American troops in Poland were immediately welcomed by the Polish foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, who said it was “good that President Trump confirmed the continued stationing of US troops in Poland”.


Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Mikołaj Bukaj/KPRP

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