Polish government officials said Warsaw has received U.S. assurances that Washington does not plan to systematically cut its presence in Poland in response to reports revealing the sudden cancellation of a planned rotational deployment of roughly 4,000 U.S.-based troops, Politico reported on May 15. The cancellation has not been formally announced by Washington, and Congress has yet to be notified, according to U.S. officials.

The move follows the Pentagon's announcement in early May of a 5,000-troop drawdown from Germany, meant as part of a broader move to return U.S. force levels in Europe to roughly their pre-2022 footprint before the previous Biden administration's buildup in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Both decisions come amid a widening transatlantic rift over the Iran war, after European allies declined to support the U.S. military campaign, and against the backdrop of sustained pressure from Washington on European capitals to raise defense spending and reduce reliance on U.S. forces for conventional deterrence.