US President Donald Trump’s pledge to maintain – and potentially increase – American troops in Poland is good news not only for Warsaw but for the entire region, Polish President Karol Nawrocki said Monday in Vilnius.
“I believe that President Trump’s declaration to keep American troops in Poland and the possibility of expanding those forces is good news for the entire region – Central Europe and the Baltic countries,” Nawrocki told reporters at a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.
Nawrocki said he raised Baltic security concerns, including Lithuania’s, during his recent visit to the White House. “It is not my responsibility to speak on behalf of Lithuania, but I mentioned our common need to expand the presence of American armed forces here,” he said. He described Trump as a leader with significant influence over Europe’s security architecture who could tilt it “in our favour”.
Nausėda thanked the Polish leader for voicing regional concerns in Washington. He said the message from Trump was encouraging not only for Poland but for its neighbours.
“This message we received from US President Donald Trump is certainly very positive, and we are glad that it was quite specific about Poland, but we believe that this message also means that we can expect the United States to pay attention to the entire region,” Nausėda said. He added that maintaining a strong US and NATO military presence in Lithuania is a “very important deterrent”.
Trump, meeting Nawrocki in the Oval Office last week, said he was willing to send more troops to Poland. “We’ll put more there if they want,” Trump said. “We’re with Poland all the way and we’ll help Poland protect itself.”
The pledge came as foreign media reported that Washington plans to cut long-running military assistance for European countries bordering Russia, including funds for Baltic defence programmes. A final decision will rest with Congress.
US troops have rotated through Lithuania since 2014, with heavy battalions deployed since 2019. Vilnius is seeking the continued presence of about 1,000 rotating American troops as Washington reviews its broader military posture in Europe.
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