US troops being relocated, not withdrawn from Poland, says Duda
Polish President Andrzej Duda has said that the US was moving its troops and military equipment from the logistics hub in Poland, which was used for the delivery of military assistance to Ukraine, to different sites within the country.
Polish President Andrzej Duda has said that the US was moving its troops and military equipment from the logistics hub in Poland, which was used for the delivery of military assistance to Ukraine, to different sites within the country.
USAREUR-AF announced on its website on Monday the planned relocation of U.S military equipment and personnel from Jasionka, located in southeastern Poland, to various other locations within the country. "This transition is part of a broader strategy to optimise U.S. military operations, improving the level of support to Allies and partners while also enhancing efficiencies," the command stated.
During a visit to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, on Tuesday, Duda told journalists that the US was adjusting the deployment of its troops in Poland rather than withdrawing them entirely from the country.
However, he refrained from providing further details about the operation or confirming whether it had commenced.
The Polish Ministry of National Defence also told PAP on Tuesday that American troops were not leaving Poland but were instead implementing previously established plans to relocate their subunits.
The ministry added that the operation was part of a new allied initiative, NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), which was presently coordinating the deliveries of military aid to Ukraine and the training of Ukrainian soldiers.
Additionally, it referenced U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said during a visit to Poland in January that the number of US troops stationed at various locations in Poland would remain at approximately 10,000.
"US troops are staying in Poland!" Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on the X platform on Tuesday. He added that in line with NATO's decision, other allies, including Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom and Poland, would be assuming US responsibilities at Jasionka airport.
US soldiers were deployed to Jasionka at the onset of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, the airport has served as a crucial logistics hub for the transport of Western military assistance to Ukraine, safeguarded by the US Patriot air defence missile system.
Also on Tuesday, NBC News, the American television network, reported that several officials from the United States and Europe were saying that the US Department of Defense was contemplating the withdrawal of as many as 10,000 American troops from Eastern Europe, particularly from Poland and Romania. (PAP)
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