NATO allies and defence officials expressed bewilderment on Friday at US President Donald Trump’s decision to send 5,000 US troops to Poland just weeks after he had ordered 5,000 troops to be pulled out of Europe.
“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
US defence officials were also confused.
“We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said “I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland.” He said this was due to his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.
The apparent change of mind came after weeks of conflicting statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the American military footprint in Europe.
NATO allies have been blindsided, despite a US pledge to coordinate troop deployments. “We’re going to stay well-synchronised with our allies moving forward,” NATO’s top military officer, US Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, promised on Wednesday.
Related
New deployment
