Following an announcement by US President Donald Trump that American troop levels in Germany will be reduced, Poland has reiterated its willingness to host additional US forces.

“We have the necessary infrastructure,” Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki said on Wednesday during a visit to the armed forces in Lithuania. “I will encourage Trump to ensure that these soldiers remain in Europe.” He added that the final decision on deployment rests with the US president.

Against a backdrop of growing tensions between Trump and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the US government recently ordered the partial withdrawal of troops from Germany.

Around 5,000 of them are to be redeployed over the next six to 12 months – but, according to Trump, the figure could ultimately be “far higher.”

During Nawrocki’s inaugural visit to the White House last autumn, Trump had assured the right-wing leader that no US troops would be withdrawn from Poland. Should Warsaw wish it, the number could even increase, Trump said.

Poland, a NATO member, has long sought a larger permanent US military presence on its territory. These ambitions date back to the 2003 Iraq war, when Warsaw joined the US-led Coalition of the Willing — unlike Germany — fuelling hopes at the time that key US assets such as Ramstein Air Base could eventually be relocated eastward.

Around 10,000 US troops are currently stationed in Poland, most of them on a rotational basis across bases in Europe, with a smaller permanent garrison in Poznan providing logistical support, according to Nawrocki.

Poland, a NATO member, has long hoped for a larger permanent US military base in the country. These hopes were particularly high in 2003 when the US invaded Iraq. Unlike Germany, Poland was part of the “Coalition of the Willing” at the time. Consequently, for a while, the country believed it had a good chance of the US Ramstein Air Base, which is located in Germany, being relocated to Poland.

According to Nawrocki, there are currently almost 10,000 US soldiers stationed in Poland. Most of them rotate regularly between various US military bases in Europe. There is also a small permanent garrison in Poznan that provides infrastructure support for all US soldiers stationed in Poland.