Trump Sends 5,000 Troops to Poland, Bewildering NATO Allies in Helsingborg

NATO allies and defense officials reacted with bewilderment after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.

“Il segretario di Stato americano Marco Rubio attacca l'Alleanza sull'Iran: "Si rifiuta di fare qualsiasi cosa"”

Adnkronos

The announcement followed a week after the U.S. defense department said it was cancelling a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland and days after an announcement that U.S. troops would be pulled out of Germany.

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In Sweden, at a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Helsingborg, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to reassure allies by saying the United States was “constantly reevaluating its troop presence in view of its global commitments.”

Rubio also tied the new Polish deployment to Trump’s relationship with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, writing that the decision was based on “our relationship with him.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, meanwhile, said the trajectory toward Europe becoming less reliant on the U.S. “will continue,” even as he framed the troop changes as part of a broader shift in responsibilities.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard described the situation as hard to manage, telling reporters, “It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” as she hosted NATO foreign ministers including Rubio.

At the same meeting, Rubio said the alliance understood that “the United States troop presence in Europe is going to be adjusted,” adding that “That work was already ongoing, and it’s been done in co-ordination with our allies.”

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The AP reported that U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion, with one official saying, “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either.”

The BBC reported that Rubio’s intervention came after Trump said the U.S. would send an extra 5,000 troops to Poland, a decision made as NATO ministers were in Sweden for talks.

In the same BBC account, Rubio said he was “not saying they’re going to be thrilled about it,” but that allies “certainly are aware of it.”

The troop whiplash unfolded against a NATO backdrop that included planning for the NATO Force Model and a July summit in Turkey, with the Helsingborg meeting framed as defining “the last political and strategic preparations” for that later summit.

“NATO allies bewildered by Trump’s about-face on US troop moves in Europe NATO allies bewildered by Trump’s about-face on US troop moves in Europe HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U”

Associated Press

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters that the trajectory toward a Europe less reliant on the U.S. “will continue,” while also insisting that the U.S. troop drawdown would not affect defense plans.

The BBC reported that the U.S. has maintained troops in European countries for decades and that the largest U.S. presence is in Germany, where there are “more than 36,000 troops on active duty.”

The AP reported that the Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.

In that context, the AP said the latest post suggested troop numbers in Europe would not change, while also noting that the withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below the 76,000 limit.