Trump Targets Poland for U.S. Troops Pulled from Germany

(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled that relocating American forces from Germany to Poland remains a live option, as the Pentagon moves forward with plans to withdraw approximately 5,000 troops from the Western European nation over the coming year.

Trump first disclosed the withdrawal plan earlier this month, days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly charged that Washington "obviously has no strategy" in the Iran war and that the U.S. "is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership." Since then, Trump has escalated his position, warning that the Pentagon would be "cutting a lot further than 5,000" of the approximately 36,000 active-duty personnel currently stationed in Germany.

When reporters raised the prospect of redirecting those forces to Poland on Friday, Trump left the door wide open.

"Well Poland would like that," he told journalists. "We have a great relationship with Poland. I have a great relationship with the president. ... I like him a lot, so that's possible."

Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced Wednesday that Warsaw stands ready to receive U.S. troops redeployed from Germany and that he intends to personally press Trump to shift forces eastward. Yet the move has drawn pushback from within Poland's own government — Prime Minister Donald Tusk cautioned Monday that Warsaw should not "poach" troops from its allies.

The troop reshuffling debate has extended well beyond Germany and Poland. Trump last week floated the possibility of pulling American soldiers from Italy and Spain as well, lambasting Italy for not being "of any help" to the U.S. and branding Spain "absolutely horrible."

Both nations have withheld military cooperation from U.S. operations against Iran. Spain denied the use of a naval base near Cadiz for strike operations and shut its airspace to American aircraft involved in the campaign, with officials and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez denouncing the war as illegal and unjust. Italy, meanwhile, blocked access to its air base in Sicily, citing the requirement for prior authorization. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the conflict had deepened regional instability and driven up energy costs, and described Trump's attacks on Pope Leo XIV — who has opposed the war — as "unacceptable."

Trump has repeatedly labeled NATO a "paper tiger" following the bloc's refusal to join the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign in the Middle East, and has accused the alliance of falling short in its backing of American efforts in Ukraine.

MENAFN11052026000045017169ID1111097193