Trump offered expanded security guarantees – Polish president
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has said his US counterpart Donald Trump has privately offered Warsaw security guarantees while publicly vowing to maintain the American troop presence in the country.
Nawrocki made the comments after meeting Trump in Washington on Wednesday, claiming the US president gave him assurances both publicly and behind closed doors. He did not disclose the details of the private commitments, describing them only as “unambiguous and strong.”
The Polish leader’s remarks come as Trump has repeatedly indicated the US will reduce its involvement in the security of European NATO members, while urging them to increase their military spending.
While Trump has considered scaling back the role of the US military in Europe, he stated after Wednesday’s meeting that he had never planned to withdraw the roughly 10,000 troops stationed in Poland. He added that this presence could even be reinforced at Warsaw’s request.
Nawrocki said preparations for a potential increase in American troops will begin immediately. According to him, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Polish National Security Bureau head Slawomir Cenkiewicz were set to start drafting plans.
Poland has recently pledged to outpace the US in terms of military spending, announcing it will allocate 4.8% of GDP next year. This figure would surpass Washington’s usual 3.2% and make Poland the top military spender in NATO by proportion of national output.
Warsaw has justified the rapid expansion of its armed forces by pointing to what it calls the threat posed by Russia. Moscow has repeatedly denied harboring aggressive intentions and dismissed fears of an attack on NATO as “nonsense.” Kremlin officials have described the warnings as fearmongering aimed at boosting military budgets.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has cautioned that Western leaders are preparing for “a real war against Russia.” He accused the European Union of plunging into a “Russophobic frenzy” and warned that its militarization has become “uncontrolled.”
Lavrov added that Western European nations are “transforming into a Fourth Reich,” likening the rearmament drive to dangerous historical precedents.
