Poland’s foreign minister stood before a New York audience and asked Trump to keep one promise about American troops

The United States and Poland are nearing a deal that could see as many as 10,000 American troops stationed in the country, as reported by Politico. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski addressed the arrangement during a Council on Foreign Relations event in New York, where he highlighted its strategic importance.

Sikorski said Poland wants the kind of U.S. presence “that would reassure us, but not be threatening to Russia.” He added that he hopes President Donald Trump keeps the promise he has made to this effect.

Trump previously affirmed that the U.S. would keep a robust military presence in Poland during a September 2025 White House meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, as detailed by Defense News. Asked whether the U.S. planned to keep troops in the country, Trump said “we’ll put more there if they want.”

The Pentagon’s review could decide what that presence looks like

NATO allies have been watching the situation with anxiety amid concerns that the Pentagon could reduce its footprint on the continent while Russia targets members with drone attacks. A Russian drone strike near Poland recently hit a rail link on the Ukrainian side of the border.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to receive a final report on the review by early November, according to two defense officials who were granted anonymity to discuss the matter. The review is being led by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, who has dubbed the initiative NATO 3.0.

In a speech on Wednesday, Colby said the review will lead to a better, stronger, and more durable NATO. He argued that members will need to spend more on their own defense, which he believes will give Europe more military capacity.

The Pentagon previously pulled an Army brigade out of Romania, and there was an initial vow to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany. Those moves have left NATO officials unsure whether to expect more American troops in Europe, a relative status quo, or large-scale withdrawals.

Trump also said at the 2025 meeting, “We’ll be staying in Poland. We’re very much aligned with Poland.” The visit was Nawrocki’s first overseas trip after taking office, and the two leaders discussed expanding the U.S. military presence in the country.

Nawrocki later told a news conference that there were specific discussions about the project and described Trump’s security guarantee as a major success. Trump said at the time that the U.S.-Polish relationship was better than ever.

Nawrocki has pointed to the war in Ukraine as a sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted, making a strong U.S. presence in Poland an essential deterrent. The Pentagon is expected to finalize its review in November.