US: Vance says US mulling options after deciding to 'delay' rotation of 4,000 troops to Poland.

SHOTLIST WASHINGTON, THE U.S. (MAY 19, 2026) 1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., JD VANCE, SAYING: “We want Europe to take more ownership over its own territorial integrity. We want Europe to step up in a big way. Now, I think you said 4,000 troops. We've not reduced the troop levels in Poland by 4,000 troops. What we did is that we delayed a troop deployment that was going to go to Poland. That's not a reduction. That's just a standard delay in rotation that sometimes happens in these situations. But here's the fundamental problem. Poland is capable of defending itself with a lot of support from the United States. We're not talking about pulling every single American troop out of Europe. We're talking about shifting some resources around in a way that maximizes American security. I don't think that's bad for Europe. That's encouraging Europe to take more ownership. The United States cannot be the policeman in the world. We want to be good allies. We want to make sure that our troop presence promotes regional stability in Europe. The President has not said that he's taken all of the troops out of Europe, but Europe has to stand on its own two feet. That's something that he's been consistent of. Frankly, not even since the beginning of this administration, going back to the first administration, is we have got to have more sovereignty and more of Europe standing on its own two feet. That will continue to be our policy in Europe. Well, first of all, I'd say there's been no president who's done more, frankly, to ensure that Ukraine survived the invasion of Russia than Donald Trump. As he famously said, ‘Obama gave him sheets. I gave him javelins.’ And it was those javelins that ensured that Ukraine still has its territorial sovereignty. What he's also said is that he wants to pursue an American policy that focus on the interests of the United States. And part of that foreign policy is not to reward Putin or not to punish a country like Poland, which we love. We love Poland. We love the Polish people. No, no, no. What we're trying to do, what our foreign policy is geared towards, is promoting European independence and sovereignty.” WASHINGTON, THE U.S. - MAY 19: Vice President JD Vance maintained Tuesday that the US is weighing options as it considers what to do with 4,000 troops that were to be deployed to NATO ally Poland. "We're not talking about pulling every single American troop out of Europe. We're talking about shifting some resources around in a way that maximizes American security. I don't think that's bad for Europe. That's encouraging Europe to take more ownership," he told reporters at the White House. "The United States cannot be the policeman of the world. We want to be good allies. We want to make sure that our troop presence promotes regional stability in Europe. The president has not said, though he could, the president has not said that he's taking all of the troops out of Europe, but Europe has to stand on its own two feet," he added. The comments come days after US media reported that the Pentagon had cancelled a planned rotational deployment of around 4,000 soldiers from the US Army’s 1st Cavalry Division to Poland. The deployment had already entered advanced preparation stages before being halted. Vance described the change as a "delay in troop rotation." "Those troops could go elsewhere in Europe; we could decide to send them elsewhere. We actually haven't made the final determination about where those troops are ultimately going to go, but what I'm saying is it is not accurate to say that we are pulling a bunch of troops out," he added. The decision has nonetheless triggered concern in Poland because the US military presence has become one of the central pillars of the country’s defense policy since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said earlier that he received assurances that the decision was logistical rather than strategic, and insisted deterrence remained intact. He has also argued that maintaining transatlantic unity remains essential despite disagreements about burden-sharing inside NATO.