Poland said questions remain about why President Donald Trump canceled the deployment of thousands of U.S. troops to the European country.
In an interview published Tuesday, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski said he plans to press the Trump administration on why the Pentagon canceled the deployment of more than 4,000 Army troops, a move that reduced American military levels in Europe to near pre-2022 levels. The previous day, Polish deputy prime minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz warned that the reorganization “cannot be made at the cost of the biggest ally of the United States in Europe.”
“We will ask questions, and I guess that we will get answers,” Zalewski told Fox News Digital.
“We remember that President Trump, directly talking with President Nawrodski, president of Poland, declared that the U.S. will maintain its armed forces in our country and the number of armed forces,” he added, pointing to Trump’s promise in September that “we’ll be staying in Poland.”
Zalewski and others in the Polish delegation are holding meetings in Washington this week. Despite concerns over the halted troop rotation, he stressed that Poland remains a “model ally” to the U.S. and that his delegation will focus on the future structure of NATO and defense cooperation between the U.S. and Europe during talks in the coming days.
The U.S. military confirmed last Wednesday that it canceled the deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, also known as the “Black Jack” brigade, based at Fort Hood, Texas. The unit had been preparing for a nine-month rotation to Poland as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, the NATO mission that expanded following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The decision sparked controversy across the board, with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) telling the Pentagon he was “not happy” with the development. Polish officials echoed the sentiment, saying they were confused by the move due to the country’s close alliance with the U.S.
EUROPE LOOKS TO UNDERSTAND PENTAGON TROOP RESTRUCTURES
“We understand that there is a reorganization of the American military presence in Europe,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said during a ceremony in eastern Poland on Monday, according to Defense News. “But this reorganization cannot be made at the cost of the biggest ally of the United States in Europe. We invest around 15,000 dollars every year for the deployment of each [U.S. soldier], which distinguishes us from other European countries.”
“[Poland has] also great, strategic purchases in the United States,” he added, referring to Poland’s numerous U.S. weapon purchases in past years. “It is difficult to find in the world, not only in Europe, a second country that has invested so heavily in purchases of the best American gear for its own needs…More than fifty billion dollars is the sum of the purchases that we are implementing in the United States.”