The United States has cancelled the deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland as part of a broader Pentagon plan to withdraw 5,000 soldiers from NATO territory in Germany, Euronews can confirm.
Earlier this month, the US administration announced the drawdown amid a growing rift between Washington and Berlin, after the German Chancellor Frederic Merz characterised the US-Israeli war in Iran as ill-conceived.
He also said that the White House had been “humiliated” in the regime in Tehran.
US President Donald Trump reacted angrily to the remarks, posting a series of messages attacking the German chancellor and telling him to spend more time “fixing his broken country” and less time “interfering” in Iran negotiations.
The Pentagon subsequently announced that Washington would withdraw at least 5,000 US troops from military bases across Germany over the next six to nine months.
But in an abrupt move confirmed by Euronews, the US has instead scrapped the 4,000-strong rotational force due to replace troops once they completed their deployment to Poland.
A ceremony marking the upcoming deployment of the 1st Cavalry Division — known as “casing the colours” — was held on 1 May at Fort Hood, Texas, and military equipment was already in transit, underscoring how far advanced the tour was before it was aborted.
NATO officials insist the overall impact on the alliance’s military posture has been limited, as rotational forces are not formally included in NATO’s deterrence and defence plans.
Confirming the development, a senior NATO military official told Euronews that replenishment forces “do not factor into NATO’s deterrence and defence plans”.
“NATO will continue to maintain a strong presence on its Eastern Flank,” the official added.
The decision is nevertheless likely to cause disappointment in Warsaw, where speculation had been mounting for weeks that some of the troops withdrawn from Germany could instead be redeployed to Poland, a country seen as key to protect the alliance’s eastern flank against Russia.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte sidestepped questions on the issue during a press conference in Bucharest on Wednesday.
“When you look at the US presence in Europe, it is still vast and massive,” Rutte said during a meeting of the so-called B9 group of NATO allies, which includes Poland, Romania and the Baltic states.
But in a clear sign Warsaw had hoped to host additional US troops, Polish President Karol Nawrocki said the country was “ready” to receive them.
“If President Trump decides to relocate American troops from Germany, Poland is ready,” Nawrocki said standing next to Rutte at the same press conference.
NATO sources told Euronews that the Polish government was informed of the decision on Wednesday evening.
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, sought to downplay the move. In a post on X on Thursday morning, he said the US decision was “related to the previously announced change in the presence of some US armed forces in Europe”.
“The rapidly developing capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces and the presence of US forces in Poland strengthen NATO’s eastern flank,” he wrote.
European NATO allies have anticipated a reduction in US troop levels since Trump returned to office. Both the Pentagon and the White House had signalled they would review the global positioning of American forces, with NATO territory expected to be affected.
According to NATO sources, a further 1,000 troops could still be withdrawn from Germany to reach the 5,000-figure announced by Trump earlier this month.