<p class="wp-block-paragraph">President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that American and Polish officials have made significant progress toward establishing a new U.S. Army base in Poland.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Since his first term, Trump has encouraged NATO members to increase their annual defense commitments. This pressure campaign has resulted in some increases in European defense spending, although Trump has also had disagreements with NATO leaders regarding support for his policies related to Iran.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“GREAT NEWS! Thanks to the bold leadership of my friend, Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland, major progress is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. “If this happens, the location will be announced very soon. This will be a historic step for our Great U.S./Polish Alliance. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Polish government announced last week that it had secured a new $4 billion agreement with the Pentagon for future American weapons purchases. Stars and Stripes reported that, at the time the deal was announced, American officials were in Poland reviewing potential sites for a new base.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Nawrocki’s predecessor, Andrzej Duda, had previously proposed the idea of establishing a “Fort Trump” American military base in Poland during Trump’s first term, although American officials rejected that name at the time.</p>