Donald Trump’s decision to send an additional 5,000 US troops to Poland has sparked a political storm. While Donald Tusk remains silent, Law and Justice (PiS) politicians emphasize that this is the result of Karol Nawrocki’s relations with the US administration. “This was done by President Nawrocki” wrote MP Andrzej Śliwka, pointing to the president’s “effectiveness in foreign policy.”
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced the deployment of an additional 5,000 American soldiers to Poland. In a short statement, he referred to the election of Karol Nawrocki as President of Poland, stressing that he had supported his candidacy and maintains relations with him. The declaration came amid ongoing talks about the future of US military presence in Europe and Poland.
The issue has triggered a wave of comments in media around the world, as well as on the Polish political scene. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has still not commented on the matter. Opposition politicians state directly that the American leader’s decision is a success of the Polish president, Karol Nawrocki.
Śliwka: this was done by President Nawrocki
Law and Justice (PiS) MP Andrzej Śliwka wrote on the X platform:
“President Karol Nawrocki once again demonstrated what effectiveness in foreign policy means. He fixed the mistakes of Klich, Kosiniak-Kamysz and Tomczyk, and the result is the decision to strengthen the American military presence in Poland. One can dislike President Trump. One can disagree with him on many issues. Everyone has that right. But publicly insulting the President of the United States and positioning oneself in the European vanguard of anti-American policy, as Donald Tusk, Radosław Sikorski and Bogdan Klich do, is simply harmful to Poland.”
As he added, “the entire sequence of actions of Tusk’s cabinet, in which Kosiniak-Kamysz always remains his loyal executor, forms a coherent whole. From interviews for foreign media, through statements and posts by Donald Tusk on social media concerning President Trump, to the constant search for every opportunity to politically attack the American leader. The current Polish prime minister’s attitude toward the US and its leader, as well as his constant appeal to a strangely understood ‘European solidarity’, confirms one thing: Polish foreign policy is increasingly becoming a tool for implementing Berlin’s interests, not Warsaw’s.”
At the same time, Poland’s security should be based on two pillars: the most important one being a strong Polish army, and strong alliances. The key of these remains the strategic alliance with the United States. Any action by the Polish prime minister that weakens this relationship should be considered harmful to the state’s interests. There have been no shortage of such examples during Tusk’s rule, including the appointment of Bogdan Klich as chargé d’affaires in Washington.
Śliwka stated that he is “watching with embarrassment the behavior of Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Cezary Tomczyk. These same politicians, who were unable to manage the crisis they themselves caused, and who gave the public a display of unprofessionalism and communication chaos, are now trying to claim credit for success. We hear: ‘we are fighting together’, ‘pressure works’.”
“No, gentlemen. It is not thanks to your actions that Poland is strengthening relations with its most important ally today. It is not thanks to your actions that Poles will be safer. It is not you who rebuilt trust where it had previously been undermined by you. It is not you who convinced the American administration to increase the military presence in Poland” – the Law and Justice (PiS) MP stated, clearly emphasizing: “this was done by President Karol Nawrocki.”
In his view, “an additional 5,000 American soldiers in Poland is not a political slogan. It will be a real strengthening of our country’s security and another proof that effective foreign policy requires competence, consistency and responsibility, not social media posts and ideological prejudice from Tusk toward our most important ally.”
Adam Andruszkiewicz, deputy head of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, assessed:
“Today we can especially see how high the stakes of the presidential election were. President Karol Nawrocki is the guarantor of maintaining a strong alliance with the US – despite opposing actions by pro-German forces in our country, which are doing everything – to weaken this alliance under Berlin’s dictate.”
The matter was also commented on by Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Michał Dworczyk. As he stressed, Donald Trump’s decision clearly shows who the United States owes for maintaining a high level of engagement in Poland’s and the region’s security.
Dworczyk pointed out that “consistent, months-long building of good personal relations between the heads of both states makes sense,” especially in crisis moments. The MEP also highlighted the need for a continuous “pro-Polish campaign” in Washington and building influence in the administration, Congress and business.
“We have failed to take proper care of this for decades – this must finally change!” he wrote.
Dworczyk also suggested that since Karol Nawrocki “delivered victory in this matter,” the government should take his opinion into account when appointing the ambassador to Washington. He added that in a situation of threat, politicians should speak with one voice, criticizing “harmful statements, gestures and jokes by important politicians who behave as if they do not understand the seriousness of the situation.”
Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Bogdan Rzońca commented briefly:
“Such a difference: Prime Minister Magyar convinced Prime Minister Tusk that Hungary must buy Russian oil, while President Nawrocki convinced President Trump to send 5,000 US soldiers to Poland! How do you like that?”