Polish President Karol Nawrocki vowed to lobby U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to get the country to host the troops Washington pulled from Germany.
"If President Donald Trump decides to reduce the American military presence in Germany, then we in Poland are ready to receive American soldiers," Nawrocki said during NATO exercises in Lithuania. He added that the country has "the infrastructure ready" for that scenario. Poland currently hosts 10,000 U.S. troops.
The remarks, however, stands in contrast with those of the country's Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, who warned against "poaching" U.S. forces. Politico detailed that the two have been at odds over several matters. Nawrocki's party, Law and Justice, accused Tusk of prioritizing Berlin over Warsaw.
The U.S. is set to withdraw some 5,000 troops from Germany following clashes between Trump and Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the decision "follows a thorough review of the Department's force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground."
Concretely, about 14% of all U.S. troops stationed in the country would leave within six to 12 months, according to the Associated Press. It is the largest deployment in the continent and where the U.S. European Command is located.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the move was predictable but highlighted that the presence of U.S. troops in the region, "and especially in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the U.S." However, he added that "we Europeans must take on more responsibility for our security."
Trump clashed with Merz following remarks from the German chancellor that Iran is "humiliating" the U.S. in negotiations to end the war. He said on Monday that "Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result."
Trump has lashed out ever since, also saying this week that Merz believes "it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."
"He doesn't know what he's talking about! If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage. I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!" he added earlier this week.
