U.S Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has defended President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after he ordered the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said that 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.

Trump’s Vice President, JD Vance, defended the decision as recently as Wednesday, telling a Polish reporter that the US wanted Europe to take more responsibility for its defence and security, adding “Poland is capable of defending itself with a lot of support from the United States.” He criticised the media for “overreacting” over what he said was “a very minor thing” and “a standard delay.”

Trump’s initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war. Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.

However, in an apparent u-turn, Trump said on social media that he would send “an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.

It was not immediately clear whether the deployment would be rotational or permanent, or if there was any link to Trump’s previous decision to pull 5,000 troops out from Germany. There are about 10,000 US troops in Poland.

Swedish Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters today, at a meeting that she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, “It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate.”

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

Rubio downplayed the issue, saying that “the United States continues to have global commitments that it needs to meet in terms of our force deployment, and that constantly requires us to reexamine where we put troops.”

Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing.” “It’s just something that’s ongoing,” he said.

About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. 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.The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.

However, Trump’s latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”

Nawrocki thanked Trump “for his friendship towards Poland … the practical dimension of which we see very clearly today.” “I stand and will continue to stand guard over the Polish-American alliance – a vital pillar of security for every Polish home and for all of Europe,” Nawrocki said.

Poland’s Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz also said that Trump’s decision “confirms the Polish-American relations are very strong, and that Poland is a model and ironclad ally.” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move.

Rubio Says NATO Leaders To Address Trump’s Disappointment

Meanwhile, Rubio said that the upcoming Ankara summit will be “one of the more important leaders’ summit in the history of NATO,” as the leaders will have to respond to Trump’s “disappointment” with the alliance’s “response to our operations in the Middle East.”

“That will have to be addressed, that won’t be solved or addressed today. That’s something for the leaders level to discuss.”
Marco Rubio

Before leaving for the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Sweden, Rubio on Thursday told reporters that Trump was “very disappointed” in alliance members who had not allowed the US to use bases on their territory for the war, singling out Spain in particular.

“You have countries like Spain denying us the use of these bases – well then why are you in NATO? That’s a very fair question. In fairness, other countries in NATO have been very helpful. But we need to discuss that.”
Marco Rubio