“Undermining security guarantees, a lack of faith in Polish-American relations, and criticism of the United States have not gone unnoticed by politicians and Pentagon officials. I am appealing to the Prime Minister and Marshal Czarzasty to refrain from false, anti-American narratives, because they simply harm the cause”, said Marcin Przydacz, Head of the International Policy Bureau in the Chancellery of the President.
Suspended rotation of U.S. troops
Reuters, CNN, and the NOTUS portal recently reported that the Pentagon had suspended the rotation of 4,000 soldiers to Poland, was considering reducing U.S. forces in Europe, and downgrading the command of U.S. land forces in Europe and Africa. In response, the National Security Bureau and the Ministry of National Defence stated that these decisions are logistical in nature and do not directly concern Poland.
The Head of the International Policy Bureau in the Presidential Chancellery, during a press conference, reminded that “President Karol Nawrocki recently spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump about the presence of American troops in Poland, and the arrangements from that conversation remain fully in force.”
The President is also in direct contact with the Ministry of National Defence. He recently met with Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and General Kukuła. “We have full coordination of actions here. The President can count on support, because this is a matter of Poland’s security,” he added.
Narrative of the Civic Platform “December 13 coalition”
The politician added that in his view, “some of the actions of the American side result not only from their own decisions, but also from the narrative built over recent weeks and months.”
“This negative narrative about the Americans, often thoughtless and unnecessary statements, provide arguments to those circles in the United States who would like to reduce the American military presence in Europe. There are forces in the U.S. who say that since Europe does not show solidarity and does not demonstrate the appropriate attitude, perhaps American troops are not needed there. This must be understood. The President and the entire administration are trying to convince about the value of the American military presence in Poland, on NATO’s eastern flank and more broadly in Europe. However, thoughtless statements, driven by the desire to gain political points in domestic debate, do not serve security,” he said.
Przydacz also issued an appeal to Donald Tusk and Włodzimierz Czarzasty.
“I am appealing to the Prime Minister and Marshal Czarzasty to refrain from false, anti-American narratives, because they simply harm the cause,” he stated.
He reminded that “undermining security guarantees, a lack of faith in Polish-American relations, and criticism of the United States have not gone unnoticed by politicians and Pentagon officials.”
“Therefore, I once again appeal to the Prime Minister for greater maturity and responsibility in matters related to the security of the Polish state,” he said.
Contacts with Americans
The politician also spoke about contacts with the United States.
“In recent days I have been in contact with the State Department, the National Security Council at the White House, and the White House itself. Poland’s position is well known to the American side. Minister Grodecki will operate on the BBN – Pentagon line. However, the key responsibility today lies with the Ministry of National Defence. I am convinced that over the past months the Ministry of National Defence has not participated sufficiently actively in this discussion, which resulted in later surprise at these decisions. We will of course cooperate, but we expect that, first of all, the communication chaos will be organized and clarified by the Ministry of National Defence. If this does not work, the President and his entire team will become even more engaged, because the matter is truly very important,” he declared.
Przydacz also noted that “the government repeatedly says that it conducts foreign policy and that no one should interfere because everything is under control, yet when a problem arises, it begins to criticize the opposition and the President.”
“The President has good relations with the White House, and thanks to these relations Poland has achieved a great deal in recent months. We do not rule out further actions if they prove necessary and helpful. At the same time, I once again appeal to the government to limit anti-American rhetoric, because it harms Poland’s security and is simply irresponsible. Already a few days before the Pentagon’s announced decision, I pointed out that negative signals were coming from the United States from circles opposed to NATO’s presence on the eastern flank. These circles are using statements by Prime Minister Tusk and Marshal Czarzasty as an argument against the continued presence of American troops in the region. Even then we indicated that these were risky actions, which is why I hope that state security will prove more important to them than current political emotions,” he said.