Trump's statement on troops in Poland is good news for entire region - Nawrocki

VILNIUS - US President Donald Trump's statement that American troops will remain in Poland, and may even increase in number, is good news not only for Poland but also for the entire region, Polish President Karol Nawrocki has said in Vilnius.

"I believe that President Trump's declaration to keep American troops in Poland and the possibility of expanding those forces is good news for the entire region - Central Europe and the Baltic countries," he said during a press conference in the Lithuanian capital.

Nawrocki said that during his visit to the White House, he also discussed the security of the Baltic States and Lithuania.

"It is not my responsibility to speak on behalf of Lithuania, but I mentioned our common need to expand the presence of American armed forces here," the Polish president said.

According to him, Donald Trump is currently the leader who has a significant influence on the security architecture and can tilt it "in our favor".

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda thanked Nawrocki for defending the interests of Lithuania and the entire region. According to him, this was agreed upon before the Polish leader's visit to Washington, during the visit of the leaders of the Baltic States and Denmark to Warsaw.

"This message we received from US President Donald Trump is certainly very positive, and we are glad that it was quite specific about Poland, but we believe that this message also means that we can expect the United States to pay attention to the entire region, because for various reasons - logistical, military - a more intensive US presence is appropriate in the region, not to mention a specific country," Nauseda said during the press conference.

According to him, the presence of American and other NATO troops in Lithuania is a priority for Vilnius, as it is a very important deterrent.

The Lithuanian president stressed that it is necessary to continue working actively to ensure that US attention to the region remains as it was, or even increases.

US president offered to send more troops to Poland as he welcomed the country's new president Nawrocki to the White House last week.

"We'll put more there if they want," Trump said after shaking hands with Nawrocki in the Oval Office. "We're with Poland all the way and we'll help Poland protect itself."

However, foreign media reported shortly thereafter that the United States plans to end long-running military assistance for European countries close to Russia, including funding for a program that also provided money to the Baltic States.

The final decision on this matter will have to be made by the US Congress.

US troops have been rotating intermittently in Lithuania since the spring of 2014, and US heavy battalions have been deployed in the country since 2019. However, Washington is currently reviewing its military presence in Europe.

Lithuania is seeking the continued presence of about 1,000 rotating US troops in the country.