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President Donald Trump has said he is open to deploying additional US troops to Poland during a meeting with his Polish counterpart.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, the United States currently has roughly 10,000 troops stationed in Poland, making it one of the largest American military presences in Europe. This number increased significantly under President Biden, who expanded the US footprint in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, aiming to bolster NATO’s eastern flank and deter further Russian aggression. Biden’s administration made Poland a central hub for allied military coordination and supply routes into Ukraine, even establishing a permanent US Army headquarters in the country (the first of its kind on NATO’s eastern border). The troop presence includes rotational forces, logistics units, air defense systems, and special operations personnel.

What’s going on now: During his recent Oval Office meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, President Donald Trump made clear he’s not only committed to keeping US troops in Poland, but also open to sending more. “We’ll put more there if they want,” Trump told reporters, noting that the US is “with Poland all the way” and will “help Poland protect itself.”

Trump’s remarks came as President Nawrocki, a close Trump ally, praised the US troop presence and Poland’s growing role within NATO. “This is the first time in Polish history … that the Poles are happy that we have foreign soldiers in Poland,” Nawrocki said with a smile, calling it a strong “signal” to Russia. He added, “With American soldiers on Polish soil, we are secure.”

This comes as Poland continues ramping up its defense spending, now at 4.7% of GDP (the highest in NATO). Much of that funding is going toward advanced US-made weaponry, including F-35 fighter jets, Apache helicopters, and Patriot missile batteries. Trump praised these investments, calling them “smart” and “necessary,” and framed the US-Polish military relationship as a “model” for other NATO countries that, in his view, have not paid their fair share.