The Pentagon has signaled support for a permanent U.S. troop presence in Poland, according to a Polish official, but the final decision remains with the White House. That decision is expected in early December as the U.S. military reviews its force posture across Europe.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that “everything is going in a good direction” during talks with Polish officials about a permanent American military base. Poland’s Ministry of National Defense described the discussion after Hegseth met with Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz at the Pentagon.

Poland has made the permanent deployment of American forces a top priority and plans to keep pressing Washington until a final determination is made. Kosiniak-Kamysz said the Pentagon’s support was evident during the meeting.

“The permanent presence of US troops in Poland is our absolute priority and we will not abandon this matter,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said in the release. “We will argue for this to the very end. This green light was very visible on the side of the Pentagon, in what Secretary Hegseth and his associates were saying.”

Although the White House will make the ultimate call, Kosiniak-Kamysz said the matter was moving in the “best direction possible.” He also highlighted the teams that supported the talks and presented potential locations for the proposed base.

President Donald Trump told reporters last month that the United States was considering establishing the base in Poland. Trump described the proposal as a possibility, keeping the issue active while military officials examine how American forces are positioned in Europe.

The Pentagon’s statement about Tuesday’s talks did not specifically mention establishing a base. It said the United States and Poland intend to sign an agreement designed to increase military cooperation between the two countries.

According to the Pentagon statement, Kosiniak-Kamysz thanked Hegseth and the department for their work to expand the American troop presence in Poland. The Polish official also praised the discussion concerning a stronger permanent U.S. military presence in the country.

“I would like to thank you for your commitment to the process of implementing President Donald [J.] Trump’s declaration on the deployment of [an] additional 5,000 soldiers to the territory of the Republic of Poland,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said during the meeting, according to the release.

Pentagon officials recently traveled to Poland to examine potential sites for a new base. Locations under consideration included Bydgoszcz, Poznań, Szczecin and Wrocław, all of which are west of the Vistula River.

A potential deployment of around 5,000 service members would create substantial infrastructure demands, according to Poland. Polish officials maintain that an American base would need facilities capable of supporting around 25,000 people, including housing, schools and other buildings.

“We are ready,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita this week. “We have the locations prepared, we are ready to build the infrastructure, and we are ready to secure the funds.”

Polish officials have publicly campaigned for a permanent American base for years, dating to the presidency of George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. They argue that a base would strengthen Poland’s role on NATO’s eastern flank and improve security as the war in neighboring Ukraine continues.

The push has not been without setbacks. In May, Pentagon officials abruptly canceled a deployment of more than 4,000 soldiers to Poland, alarming Polish officials even as the country continued investing around $15,000 annually for the deployment of each American soldier.

Poland currently hosts around 10,000 U.S. soldiers, most of whom serve there through a rotational presence. The proposed permanent arrangement would mark a major change, but the White House decision expected in early December will determine whether the Pentagon’s apparent green light becomes official policy.