Poland says US troop deployment delayed, not canceled

(Reuters)

WARSAW, May 20 – 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.

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Tuesday a U.S. troop deployment ​to Poland had been delayed, but that it was ​not accurate to say the troops were being withdrawn from Europe.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 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.

“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.

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.