Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Polish troops had fought "shoulder to shoulder with allies" in missions including Afghanistan and Iraq, stressing that Poland remained "a responsible and reliable" partner within the alliance.
Trump remarks draw criticism from allies
The comments came after Trump said in a Fox News interview that the United States had "never needed" NATO and claimed allied troops had stayed "a little off the front lines" during the war in Afghanistan.
He added that he was "not sure" the military alliance would be there for the United States "if we ever needed them".
"We've never needed them [NATO ed.]," he said, adding: "We have never really asked anything of them."
Referring to allied deployments, Trump said: "They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, and they did – they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines."
The US leader has repeatedly criticised NATO, including this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he questioned whether the alliance benefited the United States.
The remarks were met with strong reactions from European politicians.
In Britain, a junior minister described them as "deeply disappointing", pointing to the sacrifices made by allied forces.
"Many, many British soldiers and many soldiers from other European NATO allies gave their lives in support of American-led missions in places like Afghanistan and Iraq," Stephen Kinnock told Sky News.
Also, at the Friday daily briefing for journalists in Downing Street, the official spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said President Trump "was wrong to diminish the role of Nato troops" in Afghanistan.
Poland stresses solidarity and sacrifice
In Poland, former special forces commander Roman Polko said the remarks showed a lack of understanding of military solidarity, describing them as crossing a "red line".
He said Polish soldiers had operated on the front line and that veterans were considering a formal protest.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said the deaths of Polish soldiers on overseas missions showed the country’s willingness to pay "the highest price" in defence of international and national security.
"This sacrifice will never be forgotten and cannot be diminished," he said, adding that nothing would change Poland's standing as a proven ally.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, in a post on X, urged President Karol Nawrocki, the commander-in-chief of Poland's armed forces and a Trump ally, to "stand up for the honour" of Polish soldiers.
Nawrocki met with Trump in Davos at the World Economic Forum earlier this week.
Poland's military involvement in Afghanistan lasted nearly two decades and included more than 33,000 Polish soldiers and defence ministry personnel.
During the mission, 43 Polish soldiers were killed or died, along with one civilian employee who served as a paramedic.
In Iraq, where Polish forces were deployed between 2003 and 2008, more than 15,000 soldiers took part in the mission, with 22 of them killed.
Human cost of Afghanistan war
The war in Afghanistan is the only conflict in which NATO's collective defence clause, Article 5, has been invoked.
Britain lost 457 military personnel during its 20-year deployment in Afghanistan, while more than 150 Canadian and 90 French service members were killed.
Denmark lost 44 troops – one of the highest per-capita death rates among NATO allies.
(ał)
Source: PAP, Reuters