Trump announces 5,000 troop deployment to Poland, reversing earlier plans

President Donald Trump announced plans to deploy an additional 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland, reversing an apparent cancellation days earlier and deepening uncertainty among European allies about Washington’s commitment to NATO.

Trump disclosed the surprise deployment on social media late Thursday, citing his friendship with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a conservative leader.

The move came just days after the Pentagon had scrapped a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland. It leaves European partners increasingly unclear about which areas to prioritize as they shape defense strategies, given the Trump administration’s shifting stance on maintaining a U.S. military presence in Europe.

“Based on the successful Election of the now President ⁠of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” Trump wrote.

Nawrocki welcomed the announcement on social media.

“Good alliances are those based on cooperation, mutual respect, and a commitment to our shared ‌security,” he wrote Thursday evening.

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the news Friday, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels”.

The announced deployment is a sudden reversal from U.S. declarations of plans to reduce military support to Europe under Trump’s “America First” doctrine.

The U.S. president has for years lambasted European NATO partners for failing to spend enough on defense. His criticism has intensified in recent weeks as European states have criticized the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and refused to join the conflict.

The Pentagon abruptly announced a week ago that it was scrapping the planned deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland.

Earlier this month, Trump announced he was withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany following a dispute with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Washington had been “humiliated” by Iranian negotiators.

The U.S. president later said that he would be “cutting a lot further than 5,000”.

Polish officials have noted that Warsaw pays significant sums toward the cost of U.S. troop deployments. The suggestion of a pullback sparked concern over security in Poland and elsewhere in Europe, as Russia’s war on neighboring Ukraine continues and the Trump administration largely ceases efforts to mediate a ceasefire.

European states report they are gradually coming to grips with the need to replace U.S. defense capabilities, albeit slowly. However, sources suggest that erratic policies emerging from the White House create confusion over which elements should be prioritized.

“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, which will welcome Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

U.S. defense officials are also confused, according to the Associated Press.

“We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one official.

The U.S. president has lashed out at fellow NATO members in recent months for failing to support the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, suggesting Washington could withdraw from the military alliance as a result.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Rubio would discuss the need for NATO allies to increase defense spending and shoulder greater responsibility at Friday’s meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who has worked hard in recent months to soothe Trump’s displeasure with alliance peers, welcomed the deployment to Poland and cautioned that Europe must become less reliant on the United States.

While Rubio meets with NATO counterparts in Sweden, senior Pentagon officials will brief NATO partners at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels about Washington’s commitment to European defense.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced plans to reduce the number of combat brigades based in Europe from four to three.

Many of Washington’s allies in Europe remain frustrated with Trump’s handling of the war with Iran, which has damaged their economies and prompted some European leaders to question the reliability of the United States.

European NATO countries also remain concerned about Trump’s threats to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO ally.

It remains unclear whether the deployment to Poland announced Thursday includes the same soldiers as those the Pentagon said would no longer be deployed to the Central European country, or if it will involve redeployments from Germany.