NATO allies bewildered by Trump’s about-face on US troop moves in Europe

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

2026-05-22T07:48:55Z

HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment on Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to send 5,000 U.S. 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 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

U.S. defense 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 U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments. “We’re going to stay well-synchronized with our allies moving forward,” NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, promised on Wednesday.

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Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move but underlined that these matters should happen in a “structured” way. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now. So we will see.”

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer deploying to Poland. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.

Grynkewich said that “several hundred” more troops would be shifted elsewhere, without elaborating. The commander of the world’s biggest military alliance said he had huddled with defense chiefs from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland at NATO headquarters to discuss options.

It all started as Trump fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in the war.

Trump then told reporters that the U.S. would be “cutting a lot further than 5,000.” He also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.

About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment stationed in Europe unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.

The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.

Trump’s latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe might not be changed at all. The forces that were already rotating into Poland from Germany are likely to continue doing so. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision, and said it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.

Friday’s NATO meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, was aimed at preparing for a summit of Trump and his counterparts in Turkey in July.

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Cook reported from Brussels. Emma Burrows in London contributed.