US to send 5,000 more troops to Poland, Trump says

The announcement comes a week after the Pentagon cancelled a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to the country. US to send 5,000 more troops to Poland, Trump says Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Two US military personnel dressed in camouflage President Donald Trump has said the US will be sending an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, a week after the Pentagon cancelled a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to the country. Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the decision was based on the US's relationship with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom he backed during presidential elections last year. The US president did not provide further details on whether the additional troops were part of the previous planned deployment or a different operation. The White House has signalled in recent weeks that it intends to reduce its overall troop levels in Europe as part of its "America First" agenda. Earlier this month, the US also announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany after a row between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war with Iran. Trump previously criticised Merz over his suggestion that the US had been "humiliated" by Iranian negotiators. It is unclear whether the additional troops for Poland were part of those withdrawing from Germany or a separate group. He has also been critical of Washington's Nato allies for their unwillingness to join the US in pressuring Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump's announcement on Thursday comes a week after the defence department abruptly said it was cancelling the deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth later said the cancellation was "a temporary delay" of the planned deployment and the US will continue to ensure it "retains a strong military presence" in Poland. Nawrocki has long been a staunch Trump supporter and earned his endorsement before winning Poland's presidential election. Speaking to the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme in January, the Polish president said Trump is the only world leader capable of stopping Vladimir Putin and ending the war in Ukraine. Despite Trump's previous criticism of the Nato alliance and his European counterparts, Nawrocki insisted the US was still the guarantor of security in Europe. Several Republican lawmakers have previously criticised Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Germany, saying it risked sending the wrong message to Russia. The US military deployment in Germany is by far its biggest in Europe, currently at more than 36,000 active duty troops compared to about 12,000 troops in Italy and a further 10,000 in the UK. A soldier from the US Army in full combat gear stands in the background piloting a drone in a simulated village during the Combined Resolve "Greywolves" exercise at the US military Hohenfels Training Area in Hohenfels, Germany, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. Germany troop cuts send wrong signal to Russia, say two top US Republicans Polish President Karol Nawrocki, dressed in a blue suit with white shirt and blue tie, stands in front of a bunch of media microphones on Downing Street in central London. Only Trump can stop Putin, Polish president tells BBC The inauguration of the new consulate comes amid a push by the US president for greater control over the island. Cuba's foreign minister accused Rubio of trying to "instigate a military aggression". Some lawmakers and legal experts say the department has violated federal law with its addendum to the settlement. Thousands attend funeral prayers for the three victims of Monday's deadly shooting at the Islamic Centre of San Diego. Busch's representatives had said earlier on Thursday that he had been sent to hospital with a severe illness. Tony Carruthers was granted a one-year reprieve from death after his executioners failed to find a vein for lethal injection. Officials did not specify if the passenger, who was coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was showing symptoms of the virus. The DOJ charged the former leader of Cuba with murder and other crimes for his alleged role in the downing of two civilian aircraft in 1996.