Politics Poland's President: USA not planning to withdraw troops from Europe
Following talks with US government representatives, Polish President Andrzej Duda does not expect the United States to reduce its troop strength in Europe or even withdraw its soldiers completely. "There is nothing to suggest that the USA will withdraw from Europe," said Duda in Warsaw after a meeting with the US special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.
18.02.2025, 18:41
SDA
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had even assured him very clearly last week that Poland could rather expect a reinforcement of American troops. With regard to NATO's eastern flank and his country, Duda said: "There is absolutely no American intention to reduce activities with regard to security in our part of Europe or to reduce the number of American troops."
US President Donald Trump's call for higher defense spending by other NATO states and US Vice President J.D. Vance's frontal attack on European democracies at the Munich Security Conference have stoked fears in Europe that the Americans could withdraw troops from the continent.
During a visit to troops in Stuttgart last week, US Secretary of Defense Hegseth said that there were no immediate plans to reduce troop levels in Europe. However, he emphasized: "There is agreement that we will review the force situation worldwide." US President Donald Trump has different ideas in many areas to his predecessor Joe Biden.
According to the European Command of the US Armed Forces (Eucom), around 78,000 American soldiers are stationed in Europe - including around 37,000 in Germany. In Poland, there are around 10,000 on a rotational basis.
Kellogg visited Poland on his way to Kiev, where he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov on Thursday.
