Poland aims to host 15,000 US soldiers on its territory: minister

Poland is seeking to host 15,000 US troops on its territory, its deputy defence minister said Monday, as Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine enters a fifth winter.

"We are speaking about a target number of 15,000 soldiers," minister Stanislaw Wziatek told broadcaster RMF FM.

He said this would include about 10,000 soldiers deployed on a rotational basis, as well as "3,500 to 5,000" stationed permanently.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday touted "major progress" on establishing a permanent US military base in Poland, even as his administration launched a formal review of its military presence in Europe.

According to the Polish minister, the intended US force would be "built up in stages" by 2039.

Poland currently hosts between 6,500 and 7,000 US troops on a rotational basis, he said.

That is a lower number than in May, when the United States withdrew some of its soldiers from the continent, including from Poland.

Last week, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned of "hybrid" threats from Russia -- including drone and missile strikes -- against Ukraine's allies.

The NATO and EU member state along the alliance's eastern flank has accused Russia of "sabotage" on several occasions since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Poland is currently one of NATO's highest spenders in relative terms, allocating almost five percent of its GDP to defence.