US forces will remain in Poland, President Donald Trump said on September 3 as he welcomed Polish President Karol Nawrocki to the White House.

Responding to a question from a reporter before the meeting closed to the media, Trump also said Washington could deploy additional troops if Poland requested.

The Oval Office talks, Nawrocki’s first foreign visit since taking office, are focused on regional security and the US military presence in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Trump administration hinted previously that US troops could be withdrawn from Europe, or their number trimmed, potentially disrupting the transatlantic security arrangement. Europe has since embarked on a strategy to boost its spending on defence to deter Russia, which has been fighting a war of attrition against Ukraine since early 2022. 

The visit programme includes bilateral meetings at the White House, a working breakfast, delegation talks, and a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington.

Poland hopes the visit will strengthen bilateral ties, expand US engagement in regional defence, and secure further support for Ukraine. Nawrocki also said he intended to tell Trump that “Russia and its leader must not be trusted.”

The White House session is not the first contact between the two leaders.

Trump hosted Nawrocki during the Polish election campaign, they have spoken twice by phone since he took office, and Nawrocki joined a video call of European leaders convened by the US president before his Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin.