Trump Announces Significant Progress on Plans for Permanent U.S. Military Base in Poland

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that “major progress” had been made toward establishing a permanent American military base in Poland, following Warsaw’s confirmation that it was engaged in negotiations with Washington on the matter.

“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 on social media. “If this happens, the location will be announced very soon. This will be a historic step for our Great U.S./Polish Alliance.”

The announcement comes amid a broader review by Trump’s administration of its military footprint in Europe, which has raised concerns among allies that US force levels in European nations could be reduced.

However, Poland — which shares borders with both Ukraine and Russia along NATO’s eastern flank and allocates roughly five percent of its GDP to defense spending — is actively working to bolster the US military presence on its territory.

“We are ready to continue our efforts to strengthen our defense cooperation: seriously, responsibly, and always together,” Nawrocki said on X. “I can assure you that the Polish government will do its utmost to provide the best possible location for the US Army base.”

Nawrocki, a conservative ally of Trump, visited the White House last year, during which Trump offered to deploy additional US troops to Poland.

Polish deputy defense minister Pawel Zalewski said in August that Poland was discussing with the United States the possibility of hosting a permanent US base on its soil.

“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 soldiers are currently stationed in Poland — also an EU member state — but almost entirely on a rotational basis.

Washington has faced criticism from several European countries that declined to permit US forces to utilize NATO bases on their territory in the conflict with Iran.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also threatened to cut America’s financial contribution to the alliance’s budget if certain member states refused to honor commitments made at last year’s NATO summit in The Hague.

At that summit, NATO allies pledged to devote at least five percent of their GDP to security spending by 2035, including 3.5 percent dedicated specifically to military expenditures.

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