Polish general who served in Iraq condemns “coward” Trump over criticism of NATO allies

Jan 23, 2026 | 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.

General Roman Polko, who commanded Poland’s GROM special forces unit in Iraq and Afghanistan, has condemned Donald Trump’s recent comments suggesting that America’s allies have not provided frontline military support to the United States.

Polko, who is now retired, called the US president “a coward who has never been on the front lines”. Meanwhile, Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, declared that “no one has the right to mock the service of our soldiers”.

Amid tensions over Trump’s efforts to take control of Greenland, the US president has repeatedly questioned whether his country can rely on its NATO allies.

“Will they be there, if we ever needed them?” Trump asked on Thursday in an interview with Fox News. “I’m not sure of that.”

“We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them. You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that. And they did – they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” he continued.

In actual fact, military personnel from various NATO allies served in combat roles in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq this century, with many losing their lives.

In Afghanistan, the highest number of casualties after the United States (2,461 deaths) were for the UK (457), Canada (159), France (90), Germany (62), Italy (53) and Poland (44). In Iraq, 23 Polish soldiers were killed, behind only the US (4,492), UK (179) and Italy (33).

Among those to serve in both arenas was Polko, who was commander of GROM from 2000 to 2004 and again in 2006. Since ending his military service in 2009, he has served as a security advisor to three presidents, Lech Kaczyński, Bronisław Komorowski and Andrzej Duda.

General Polko (left) visiting Polish troops in Afghanistan in 2007 as head of President Lech Kaczyński’s National Security Bureau (source: BBN)

Speaking on Friday to broadcaster TVN, Polka said that Trump’s latest remarks had “crossed a red line”, especially coming from someone who never served in the military.

“This is the cynicism of a coward who hasn’t been on the front lines himself,” declared the general. “In this respect, he resembles Putin, who also wages wars but has never even approached the front lines himself.”

Polish soldiers were “on the front lines, supporting peacekeeping efforts and risking their own lives to ensure that people were not terrorised by al-Qaeda”. In a further interview with broadcaster TVP, Polko also called on Trump to apologise.

Meanwhile, Poland’s defence minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, published a statement on Friday highlighting Poland’s contribution to allied efforts.

“Poland has always been, is, and will be a responsible and reliable ally that, at the moment when security is threatened, stands in its defence,” he wrote on social media. “The Polish army, shoulder to shoulder with allies, took part, among others, in missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

“Tragic moments, when our soldiers died, showed that, in defence of international security, of Poland’s security, we are ready to pay the highest price. This sacrifice will never be forgotten and must not be diminished. Poland is a reliable and proven ally, and nothing will change that.”

Foreign minister Radosław Sikorski also noted that the province of Ghazni where Polish forces served in Afghanistan was very much on the frontlines. “No one has the right to mock the service of our soldiers,” he added.

Sikorski also shared an image of Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki – who is an opponent of the government and ally of Trump – meeting the US president this week, adding sarcastically: “The commander-in-chief of the [Polish] armed forces with surely assert the honour of our soliders.”

In response, Nawrocki’s spokesman, Rafał Leśkiewicz, criticised Sikorski for “exploiting Polish soldiers” for political purposes. He added that “President Karol Nawrocki, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, has always stood, stands, and will always stand by Polish soldiers”.

On Friday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also criticised Trump’s recent remarks about America’s allies, calling them “insulting and frankly appalling” and suggesting that the US president should apologise.


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: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons (under CC BY-SA 2.0)

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