U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Polish President Andrzej Duda in the White House in Washington D.C. on the 3rd (local time). Yonhap News. 

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that while he has no plans to withdraw or reduce U.S. troops stationed in Poland, a NATO ally, he is considering such actions for other countries.

When asked "Will U.S. troops remain in Poland?" during a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the White House on the 3rd (local time), President Trump replied, "Yes."

He added, "If Poland wants it, we will have more soldiers there. Poland has wanted more U.S. troops for a long time."

"U.S. troops will remain in Poland. We are very much aligned with Poland," he continued.

"We have a very special relationship," he said. "We have never even thought about removing troops from Poland. We are considering it for other countries."

This is seen as a reaffirmation of the current trend where the Trump administration is reviewing plans to adjust the deployment of U.S. troops worldwide in response to the changing security environment.

The word "remove" used by President Trump has a dictionary definition of eliminating something or taking it out of one place and moving it to another.

Therefore, the possibility is being raised that he may be considering the complete withdrawal or reduction of U.S. troops and the subsequent redeployment of forces for other countries.

In this context, South Korea, where approximately 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed, will need to closely monitor future developments.

When asked last month on the 25th if he was considering reducing the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) during a meeting with President Lee Jae-myung, President Trump replied, "I don't want to say that right now, because we are friends."

He then expressed a desire to own the land where the bases used by USFK are located.

This contrasts with his proactive stance on troop presence in Poland, where he stated that if Poland desires, more U.S. troops would be stationed there.

Currently, about 10,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Poland.

The U.S. deployed troops to Poland during the Obama administration after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Subsequently, the Biden administration reinforced U.S. troops in Poland after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Further augmenting U.S. forces in Poland could serve as another leverage point for President Trump to exert pressure on Russia.

Polish President Duda stated that unlike other European NATO countries, Poland "is not a free rider" and has increased its defense spending to 4.7% of its GDP, pledging to meet NATO's 5% target.

NATO estimates that Poland spent 4.12% of its GDP on defense in 2024, the highest among NATO member states. Poland aims for 4.7% this year.

President Trump commented, "Poland is one of the two countries that pays more than its fair share as a NATO member. That has been a very good thing."

According to Reuters, President Duda told reporters after the meeting that President Trump strongly guaranteed Poland's security and that the issue of increasing U.S. troops in Poland was discussed during the meeting.

President Duda stated, "I am confident that we will succeed in increasing the number of U.S. troops in Poland, although we have only just begun the process."

He announced that President Trump had invited him to the G20 summit to be held next year.

Yonhap News