Trump Pledges More US Troops to Poland, Warns Moscow During Nawrocki Visit

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump offered Friday to send more troops to Poland as he welcomed the country’s new nationalist president Karol Nawrocki to the White House with a military flyover.

US President Donald Trump on Friday offered to send additional American troops to Poland as he welcomed the country’s new nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, to the White House with a ceremonial military flyover.

The meeting, Nawrocki’s first foreign trip since taking office, underscored the deepening personal and political ties between the two leaders.

“We’ll put more there if they want,” Trump, 79, said after greeting the 42-year-old president in the Oval Office. “We’re with Poland all the way and we’ll help Poland protect itself”.

He added that the flyover by F-16 and F-35 jets was “very much in honor” of Major Maciej “Slab” Krakowian, a Polish F-16 pilot killed last week during air show preparations. “He was a legend in Poland,” Trump said.

Nawrocki, a conservative historian and outspoken Trump ally, praised the US troop presence in his country, where some 8,000 American personnel currently reinforce NATO’s eastern flank.

“It is the first time in history that Poland has been happy to host foreign troops,” he said, stressing that Warsaw will continue boosting defense spending to meet Trump’s demands, despite already being NATO’s top spender relative to GDP.

The two leaders also addressed the ongoing war in Ukraine, which loomed large over the talks. Trump hinted at stronger measures against Russia if it fails to adjust its course.

“You’ll see things happen if I’m dissatisfied with President Putin’s response,” he said, alluding to possible new sanctions or tariffs. “I have no message to President Putin, he knows where I stand, and he’ll make a decision one way or the other.”

Trump is expected to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday and will also consult with European leaders, according to the White House and the French presidency.

The visit highlighted both convergence and tension in Polish politics. Nawrocki’s “Poland First, Poles First” message mirrors Trump’s “America First” rhetoric, and the two share skepticism over Ukraine’s NATO bid.

Yet Nawrocki has clashed with Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU government, most recently by blocking legislation to extend rights for Ukrainian refugees.

Trump, meanwhile, boasted of his role in Nawrocki’s rise. “I don’t endorse too many people, but I endorsed him, and I was very proud of the job he’s done,” he said, recalling their Oval Office meeting before the Polish election.

Poland remains a critical NATO ally and vital transit hub for military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but Warsaw’s exclusion from Trump’s ongoing peace initiatives has been a source of frustration.