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Poland and Lithuania have publicly offered to take in the 5,000 US troops being withdrawn from Germany.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, President Trump ordered the Pentagon last week to pull 5,000 American troops out of Germany over the next six to 12 months, with the announcement coming after a public feud between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the US war on Iran. Merz said Iran was “humiliating” the US through its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and pressed Trump on his plan for ending the war. Trump shot back that Merz should focus on “fixing his broken Country” instead of talking shit about the conflict. Trump also suggested more cuts could follow. Germany currently hosts about 35,000-36,000 active-duty US service members, the second-largest US troop presence in any country. Even with the cut, it would still hold that spot.

What’s going on now: Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda made the offers during NATO’s “Brave Griffin 26-II” military exercise in Lithuania this week, pitching their countries as new homes for the withdrawn American troops. Nawrocki said he’d press the case directly with Trump.

“If for any reason President Trump decides to reduce the American military component in Germany, we in Poland are ready to accept American troops; we have the infrastructure in place to do so.” Nawrocki added that “regardless of political views, everyone is aware that the presence of American troops, whether in Poland or other Central and Eastern European countries, increases security.” Nauseda echoed the offer, saying Lithuania is willing to host whatever portion of the US troop presence it can fit.

Despite the calls, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned Monday that Warsaw shouldn’t be seen as “poaching” US troops moving out of Germany, saying that doing so would “undermine European solidarity.” But Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki told Polsat News Wednesday that talks with Washington over increasing the US military presence in Poland are already happening “at both the military and diplomatic levels.”

On the US side, Senate and House Republicans, including Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers, want the withdrawn troops moved east into Europe rather than brought back stateside. Their argument is that keeping forces forward-deployed deters Russia, and that countries on NATO’s eastern flank have poured money into hosting them.

This all comes as German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the withdrawal was “foreseeable” and called on European allies to shoulder more of the security burden, telling reporters that Germany was “on the right track” in expanding its armed forces and increasing defense procurement.