NATO chief welcomes Trump’s pledge to send 5,000 troops to Poland

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has embraced President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to send 5,000 US troops to Poland, a move that reverses an earlier plan shelved as Washington pressed Europe to shoulder more of its own defence.

“Of course, I welcome the announcement,” Rutte told reporters before a meeting of alliance foreign ministers in Sweden, saying NATO’s “military commanders are working through all the details”.

Trump caught allies off guard by unveiling the deployment only hours before Secretary of State Marco Rubio was due to meet NATO ministers in Sweden, where sharp disagreements over the Iran war were already hanging over the talks.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said his relationship with Poland’s conservative nationalist President Karol Nawrocki had prompted the decision to dispatch the extra troops.

The move marked a striking reversal after weeks of blistering criticism from Trump, who had accused NATO members of failing to do enough to support the US-Israeli military campaign.

He has said he is weighing whether to pull out of the alliance and has openly cast doubt on whether the United States remains committed to NATO’s mutual defence clause.

Before departing for the foreign ministers’ meeting in the Swedish town of Helsingborg, Rubio said Trump was “very disappointed” with alliance members that had refused to let the United States use bases on their soil for the war, singling out Spain.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Sweden for talks with NATO meet ministers

“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,” Rubio told reporters in Miami.

“In fairness, other countries in NATO have been very helpful. But we need to discuss that,” he added.

NATO officials have stressed that the United States never asked the 32-member alliance to join the Iran war, although many allies have honoured commitments allowing US forces to use their airspace and bases.

European unease over Trump’s approach to NATO has also deepened this year because of his push to acquire Greenland, a territory belonging to fellow alliance member Denmark.

At the Helsingborg meeting, European ministers are expected to try to ease tensions with Washington by underlining their willingness to help protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz when conditions allow, while also taking on a larger share of responsibility for European security.

Iran has restricted traffic through the strait during the war.

Concerns in Europe over Trump’s commitment to NATO were sharpened further by the prior decision to pull 5,000 troops out of Europe, made before Thursday’s surprise pledge to send more forces to Poland.

It was not immediately clear where the additional troops bound for Poland would be sourced.

Allies in Washington’s orbit have also been left baffled and unsettled by the way the shift was announced.

US officials initially said the troops would be withdrawn from Germany, but later said they would postpone the deployment of a brigade to Poland.

The United States has also said a planned deployment of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany will no longer proceed. It also intends to inform NATO allies that it will reduce the military capabilities it makes available to the alliance during a crisis, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

NATO’s top commander, US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, tried this week to calm European allies over the recent moves, saying any further drawdowns would be spread over years to give partners time to build the capabilities needed to replace them.

US Navy official says Taiwan arms sales on ‘pause’ over Iran war

Meanwhile, the acting US Navy secretary said arms sales to Taiwan had been put on “pause” to make sure the American military had enough munitions for operations linked to Iran.

Questioned at a congressional hearing about Taiwan’s stalled $14 billion weapons purchase, acting secretary Hung Cao said that “right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury, which we have plenty”.

“But, we’re just making sure we have everything, then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary,” he added.

The US State Department and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Cao’s remarks.

Taiwan Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo said there was “no information indicating that the US intends to make any adjustments to this arms sale”.

Trump has not committed to completing the sale, fuelling concern over how firmly he would back Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.

Before his recent state visit to China, Trump said he would discuss the arms sales with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a shift from Washington’s earlier insistence that it would not consult Beijing on the issue.

After the trip, he said he had made no commitments to Xi on Taiwan and would decide on the arms sales “over the next fairly short period of time.”

The United States recognises only Beijing, but US law requires Washington to provide weapons to the self-ruled democracy for its defence.

China has vowed to take the island and has not ruled out the use of force, while stepping up military pressure in recent years.