US Army to Pull Troops From Key Ukraine Logistics Hub in Poland

U.S. soldiers are relocating to other areas of Poland after using Jasionka as a makeshift hub for flowing aid to Ukraine since 2022.

Soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division depart a Boeing 747 aircraft in Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, Poland, Feb. 8, 2022. Senior Airman Taylor Slater, U.S. Air Force

U.S. troops are set to draw down from a key logistics hub in Poland that NATO has used to move aid to Ukraine since 2022.

On April 7, the U.S. Army component for Europe and Africa announced plans to withdraw U.S. military personnel and equipment from Jasionka, Poland, to other sites throughout the country.

U.S. troops began arriving at the Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland in the early weeks of 2022, as Russian forces continued to mass on Ukraine’s eastern border.

Though not a permanent Polish military base, the airport soon became a key transfer point for weapons and aid to help Ukrainian forces defend against the Russian invasion.

Poland and other NATO members have expanded protective measures around the airport.

Gen. Christopher Donahue, the commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, described the decision to reposition U.S. troops in Europe as a way to save costs and conduct operations more efficiently.

“In the past few years we have moved to more permanent facilities in the country,” Donahue said. “After three years at Jasionka, this is an opportunity to right-size our footprint and save American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars per year.”

The Epoch Times reached out to U.S. Army Europe and Africa for more details about the withdrawal timeline and didn’t receive a response by publication time.

Since 2022, the U.S. military has established Army Garrison Poland. This garrison encompasses 11 installations, positioned in three military communities in western Poland.

The drawdown at Jasionka comes as the Trump administration has pursued negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and signaled a desire to move some of the U.S. military’s focus away from Europe.

While U.S. foreign policy priorities have continued to shift since President Donald Trump took office in January, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said the U.S. drawdown from Jasionka was part of a plan that’s been in the works since July 2024.

“The previous tasks of U.S. troops in Jasionka are being taken over by successive allies. U.S. troops remain in Poland, but in different locations,” Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote in an April 8 post on X.

“Now, the mission in Jasionka involves mainly Norwegian, German, British, and Polish troops, as well as other allies.”

Donahue said U.S. forces continue to communicate with Poland and other NATO allies through the draw-down process.

U.S. Embassy Poland Chargé d’Affaires Daniel Lawton thanked the people of Jasionka for welcoming U.S. forces there for the past three years.

“Your support has exemplified the close ties between our nations and enhanced the strength of our U.S.-Poland partnership. As we adapt to evolving needs, this transition allows us to sustain our close cooperation while using resources more efficiently,” Lawton said.

Trump has repeatedly called on other NATO members, particularly in Europe, to boost their military spending.

In 2014, the alliance set a goal for each member nation to contribute at least 2 percent of its gross domestic product to military expenditures.

Many NATO member nations had lagged behind this defense spending target until the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.

As of 2024, Poland was spending more than 4 percent of its GDP on military, making it the NATO member with the highest proportion of spending on defense.

Kosiniak-Kamysz voiced support, in January, for Trump’s calls to raise the alliance spending target to 5 percent of each member nation’s GDP.