Poland is prepared to pay $15,000 per year for each U.S. soldier stationed on its territory if a permanent U.S. military base is established. This was stated by Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski during an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Zalevski noted that negotiations with the Pentagon are focused on implementing this plan, including discussions about the troops involved, their capabilities, and their deployment locations. He emphasized that Poland is prepared to cover infrastructure costs as well as the costs of supporting American soldiers.
He clarified that all costs associated with the maintenance of U.S. troops will be covered by Polish taxpayers. At the same time, the details of the permanent deployment of troops remain under negotiation in the context of a review of the U.S. military posture in Europe.
Zalevsky also noted that the establishment of permanent U.S. military bases in Poland would send an important signal to Russia. According to him, an attack on Poland could lead to a direct conflict between U.S. and Russian forces.
This initiative is part of a trend toward strengthening the presence of U.S. troops in Poland; the idea of establishing a permanent base was first proposed by Andrzej Duda in 2018. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Warsaw’s efforts to secure U.S. military aid intensified, and last month, President Donald Trump confirmed progress in this regard.
