Donald Tusk, message of calm after the Pentagon canceled sending 4,000 soldiers to Poland: “These decisions have a logistical character”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk sent a message of calm on Friday, in the context of the recent adjustments to the American military presence in Europe, which he qualified as purely “logistical”, reaffirming the solidity of NATO and his country's “loyalty” to its allies, reports EFE, according to Agerpres.
During a press conference held at the Border Guard Officer School near Warsaw, Tusk said on Friday that he maintains “permanent contact with the NATO command and with the American command” to monitor the situation and possible changes in the US military deployment in Poland.
These statements come shortly after it was revealed that the Pentagon had canceled the planned deployment of an armored brigade with 4,000 additional troops to Poland, a move that is part of Washington's recent policy to reconfigure its presence in Europe and concentrate its forces in other strategic areas.
“We received assurances that these decisions are of a logistical nature and will not directly affect deterrence capabilities or our security”, said Donald Tusk, reiterating that “Poland was, is and will be the most stable, loyal and effective ally of both the US and other NATO member countries”.
In recent statements, both Polish Defense Minister Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz and spokesman Adam Szlapka said there would not be a reduction in the US military presence in Poland from current levels, but only a “reorganisation”.
Szlapka said in an interview with Radio MFZ on Friday that “American troops from Poland are and will remain” on Polish soil, and reiterated that his country remains the “pillar of deterrence” for the Allies on the eastern flank.
The Pentagon has also stated – repeatedly – that its long-term goal is for European allies to take over the bulk of the burden of conventional defense, so that they can reduce the United States' military role on the continent.
The withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany, announced by President Donald Trump, would reduce US military forces in Europe to about 80,000 troops, according to Defense Department estimates, similar to the number deployed before the war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
In Europe, the largest concentration of US troops is in Germany, with approximately 36,400 troops, followed by the United Kingdom, with 10,156 troops.
In total, there are 31 permanent US bases in Europe and 19 additional sites to which the US Department of Defense has access.
