Visegrad Group in May 2026: the most important developments in security
In the Visegrad Group countries, security news in May 2026 centred on US troops in Poland. On May 9 Poland said it was open to hosting additional US troops if they were redeployed from Germany, following President Trump's suggestion of a shift. By May 15 the US had scrapped plans to deploy 4,000 troops to Poland, a decision Polish officials criticised and that raised questions about bilateral defence cooperation. On May 22 Trump announced plans to deploy 5,000 additional US troops to Poland, citing his personal ties with the Polish president and the need to reinforce NATO's eastern flank.
Poland continued to build up its own forces. Its defence ministry expanded a non-military defence preparation programme and opened the entire SAFE pool for the army, and its modernisation includes a $52 billion loan from the EU. Poland also denied Russian businessman and former KGB officer Vladimir Lebedev a Schengen visa, citing national security concerns. In the Czech Republic, the army aims to grow to 37,500 soldiers, citing the shifting US stance on NATO and European security needs.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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