Poland says US troop deployment delayed, not canceled
US Troop Deployment to Poland: Current Status and Reactions
By Anna Koper
Official Statements from Polish and US Authorities
WARSAW, May 20 (Reuters) - Poland's defence minister said no decisions have been made to reduce the number of American troops in the country and recent U.S. moves may only temporarily delay their deployment, after meeting U.S. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Christopher Mahoney.
Comments from US Officials
Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Tuesday a U.S. troop deployment to Poland had been delayed, but that it was not accurate to say the troops were being withdrawn from Europe.
Poland's Response to Pentagon Reports
Poland was earlier alarmed by reports the Pentagon had canceled plans to deploy 4,000 U.S troops in the country. Officials tried to reassure Poles that this was not the case.
Clarification from Poland's Defence Minister
"Decisions that are made in the U.S. and their consequences may temporarily delay the deployment of U.S. forces to Poland, which is exactly what we said--that there was no decision to reduce them, only a temporary suspension," Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters after meeting Mahoney.
Context: US Troop Movements in Europe
Earlier this month, the Pentagon said it would withdraw 5,000 troops from NATO ally Germany, in part due to a widening rift between U.S. President Donald Trump and Europe linked to the Iran conflict.
(Reporting by Anna Koper, Pawel Florkiewicz and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
