Concern in Poland about US decision to reposition troops

The news from the US came as a shock in Poland. The US Army Europe and Africa issued a press release on Monday, stating that it intended to reposition its forces from Jasionka in the southeast of the country.

It went on to say that the move was "part of a broader strategy to optimize US military operations." The American soldiers will be moved to other sites in the country.

A report on NBC news, however, sounded rather more alarming.

Citing American and European sources, the broadcaster reported that the Pentagon is considering withdrawing 10,000 US soldiers from Romania and Poland.

US: guarantor of Polish security

Since the collapse of communism and the restoration of Polish independence in 1989, Poland has seen the United States as the most important guarantor of its security.

Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz (left) met Pete Hegseth (right) in Warsaw in February during the American's first visit to Poland as US Defense SecretaryImage: Wojtek Radwanski/AFP/Getty Images

Its membership of the NATO defense alliance is underpinned by a strong bilateral relationship with the US that has the backing of all political forces in Poland.

During his first visit to Warsaw as US Defense Secretary in early February, Pete Hegseth said that the US would not be reducing its military presence. Approximately 10,000 American soldiers are currently stationed in Poland. 

Poland on the EU and NATO's eastern flank

This explains why the US announcement and other rumors surrounding it are a bitter blow for Poland.

Due to its location on the European Union's eastern border and the fact that it is a neighbor of Ukraine, there is great concern in Poland about Russia's aggression.

Nevertheless, Poland's government is putting a brave face on it and playing down Washington's decision.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized that the decision had been announced weeks previously and agreed with Poland.

He went on to say that the Americans had assured him that US soldiers would remain in Poland and that there would be no reduction in US forces, either in Poland or in Europe as a whole.

Polish President Andrzej Duda attended CPAC in Maryland in FebruaryImage: Brian Snyder/REUTERS

The Polish Defense Ministry also spoke of a "planned repositioning" of troops.

According to Poland, the Jasionka logistical hub has been protected by German Patriot and Norwegian NASAMS systems since January.

President reassures citizens

Polish President Andrzej Duda also sought to reassure citizens. He told his fellow Poles that this was "not a withdrawal of the army" and dismissed media reports about a reduction in the presence of US troops as "blah blah blah."

Duda is aligned with the opposition national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party and has close ties to the Trump administration. He traveled to the US in March, determined to be the first European head of state to visit the reelected American president. 

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Dariusz Lukowski, head of Poland's National Security Bureau, stressed that activities at the Jasionka base would not be scaled back. Lukowski said that he assumed the US administration's decision had been driven by economic motives.

US troops have been stationed in Jasionka since early 2022. The military airport near Rzeszow, which is close to the Ukrainian border, became the most important hub for the delivery of Western weapons to Ukraine. Indeed, 95% of all military aid for Ukraine passes through this airport. 

Media sound the alarm

But Poland's media do not share the government's optimism.

Writing in the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza on Wednesday, Bartosz Wielinski described the decision to move the troops as "a bad sign," adding that "in corporate slang, optimization means cutting costs. The reins of power in America are now held by people who want to turn the state into a corporation. And they are using an axe, not a scalpel, to do so."

Wielinski warned that the US deterrence against Russia has been dealt a severe blow.

"Trump is destroying America's soft and hard power," wrote Bogdan Chrabota in the Polish daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita. "This is bad news for Kyiv and good news for Moscow because the Kremlin already knows that the new US president is a mischief-maker and not a responsible statesman."

A gift for Putin?

Former Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz agrees. "This is not good news," he told commercial news channel TVN24 on Wednesday. "The US decision comes too soon. It would have been better to wait for a turning point in the war in Ukraine. This is a weakening of the West towards Russia. In my opinion, it was intentional."

Just a few days after his inauguration, US President Donald Trump (right) spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin (left)Image: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency/picture alliance | Pete Marovich/CNP/AdMedia/picture alliance

Czaputowicz went on to say that this decision should be seen as a "sign of a change in US policy."

"Vladimir Putin undoubtedly appreciates this gesture (...). This confirms the emerging cooperation between Russia and the USA," he said.

Issue in the presidential election?

About five weeks out from the presidential election in Poland, the issue of US troops is now well and truly part of the domestic political debate in the country.

"We should raise the alarm," said former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki of PiS, adding that US President Donald Trump is obviously skeptical about relations with the government of Donald Tusk, which "is very bad news for Poland," he said.

"I am disappointed that the Polish government did nothing to counter this. Claims that the repositioning of troops was planned is just an attempt to save face," he said. "Duda built up strong relations with America. Unfortunately, the Tusk government has not continued this policy. We are now seeing the consequences of this."

This article was originally published in German.