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US President Donald Trump says Washington and Warsaw have made “major progress” towards establishing a permanent American military base in Poland, describing the move as a potential milestone for the two countries’ security partnership.
Trump made the announcement on Thursday in a social media post, crediting Polish President Karol Nawrocki for what he called “bold leadership” in advancing discussions on the proposed facility.
“Thanks to the bold leadership of my friend, Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland, major progress is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland,” Trump said.
He added that if the plan goes ahead, the base’s location would be announced soon, calling it “a historic step for our Great U.S./Polish Alliance.”
The announcement comes as the Trump administration reviews the United States’ military presence in Europe, a process that has raised concerns among some allies over possible changes to American troop deployments across the continent.
Poland, which shares borders with both Ukraine and Russia and sits on NATO’s eastern flank, has been seeking a larger US military presence as part of its security strategy. The country spends around five per cent of its gross domestic product on defence, among the highest levels within NATO.
Polish Deputy Defence Minister Pawel Zalewski said in August that Warsaw and Washington were discussing the possibility of creating a permanent US base in the country.
“We have already completed the initial stage of the process, not to mention the political will, which was expressed long ago,” Zalewski told public broadcaster TVP.
Nearly 10,000 US troops are currently stationed in Poland, although most are deployed on a rotational basis rather than as part of a permanent installation.
Polish President Nawrocki, a conservative ally of Trump, previously visited the White House, where Trump said he was open to increasing the number of US troops in Poland.
The proposed base discussions also come as Washington continues to push NATO members to increase defence spending. At the NATO summit in The Hague, allies agreed to work towards spending five per cent of GDP on security by 2035, including 3.5 per cent on core military needs.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that countries failing to meet alliance commitments could face pressure over their contributions to NATO.
