September 18, 2026 | 06:14 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that significant progress had been made toward establishing a US military base in Poland.
"Thanks to the bold leadership of my friend, Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland, major progress is being made toward establishing a US Army base in Poland," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
In August, Warsaw revealed that it was in talks with Washington regarding a permanent US military presence in Poland.
"If this happens, the location will be announced very soon. This will be a historic step for our Great US/Polish Alliance," Trump added in a social media post.
His announcement comes despite his administration's launch of a formal review of its military presence in Europe. This has raised fears among allies that the US could reduce its military presence there.
How did Warsaw react?
Nawrocki, who is a conservative ally of the US president, thanked Trump on X, saying Poland was "ready to continue our efforts to strengthen our defense cooperation."
He added, "I can assure you that the Polish government will do its utmost to provide the best possible location for the US Army base."
Meanwhile, Zbigniew Bogucki, the head of the Polish president's chancellery, called Trump's announcement "great news for Poland." He also noted that it came on the 87th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland.
In August, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski said his country was discussing with the United States the possibility of establishing a permanent US base on its territory.
"We have already completed the initial stage of the process, not to mention the political will, which was expressed long ago," Zalewski told the public broadcaster TVP.
Poland secures NATO's eastern flank
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has been pushing for a larger allied presence on NATO's eastern flank.
Nearly 10,000 US soldiers are currently stationed in Poland, a member of both NATO and the EU. However, they are there almost exclusively on a rotational basis.
Poland's proximity to Ukraine and Russia is a key factor in its security strategy. The country allocates approximately 5% of its gross domestic product to defense spending and has been working to increase the United States' military presence.
In the meantime, Washington heavily criticized several European countries for refusing to allow US forces to use NATO bases in its war with Iran.
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