Trump Dithers, NATO Baffled — Everyone Baffled
Trump Dithers, NATO Baffled — Everyone Baffled
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - European NATO member states are moving quickly to seek clarity from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding changes to Washington’s troop deployment policy in Europe. The move comes as European allies strive to calm the anger of US President Donald Trump over their response to the Iran war ahead of the NATO summit in July.
Confusion surfaced when NATO foreign ministers gathered in Helsingborg, Sweden, on Friday (22 May 2026) local time. Trump suddenly announced he would send 5,000 additional troops to Poland, a move seen as reversing Washington’s earlier decision to withdraw those deployments.
The shift in Washington’s stance was welcomed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the Polish government. But on the other hand, the sudden decision sparked serious concerns about poor coordination between the US and its NATO allies.
“Indeed confusing, and not always easy to understand the direction of its policy,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, quoted by AFP.
The Trump policy emerged just a few weeks after Washington abruptly announced the withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany, following a public dispute between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Rubio sought to reassure allies by emphasising that the change in troop deployment “is not punitive”. According to him, Washington must continue to “reassess” its military deployments to align with global strategic needs.
Several NATO foreign ministers acknowledged that the reduction of US troops in Europe had actually been anticipated, as Washington focuses on threats in other regions and European countries themselves increase defence capacity.
“The important thing is that this process is conducted in a structured manner, so that Europe can strengthen its forces as the US reduces its presence,” said Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.
The NATO meeting in Sweden occurred after Trump had repeatedly launched sharp criticisms of European countries regarding their stance on the Iran war. In fact, Trump even threatened to consider exiting NATO.
Diplomats say the main aim of the Helsingborg meeting is to open a new chapter before the NATO summit in Ankara, so the alliance can focus on showing increased European defence spending.
“The President’s views, frankly his disappointment with some NATO allies and their responses to our operations in the Middle East, that has all been well documented and this should be discussed,” Rubio said.
He added that the NATO summit in Ankara is likely to be “one of the most important leader meetings in NATO’s history”.
In an effort to ease tensions with Washington, several European countries are reported to have started sending ships closer to the Middle East to assist security in the Strait of Hormuz after the war ends.
“Europeans have heard that message,” said Rutte.
Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he did not expect NATO to send a special mission to the area.
Shadow of the Iran War
Since Trump returned to power last year, NATO has faced various internal crises, including when European allies sought to persuade Trump not to try to seize Greenland.
Now, the impact of the Iran war is said to threaten to overshadow the main agenda of the NATO summit in Ankara.
Previously, NATO hoped to use that meeting to show Trump that member states are serious about meeting their pledge to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP.
Diplomats say a number of weapon purchase agreements are in the works to demonstrate to Trump that Europe is truly ready to bolster defence.
Behind the efforts to placate Washington, European countries are also coming to terms with the reality that they must become more autonomous in security matters.
Led by Germany, which is aggressively increasing its defence spending, European countries are showing a tougher stance. But so far, their focus remains on strengthening Europe’s role within NATO, rather than building an alternative alliance.
“When the US reevaluates its level of involvement and presence in Europe within this alliance, that may actually be an opportunity to ‘Europeanise’ NATO,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
One area that Europe is increasingly handling itself is support for Ukraine.
Rutte urged more commitments from the US to supply weapons to Kyiv. He even proposed that European countries and Canada set aside 0.25% of GDP to arm Ukraine.
However, Rutte acknowledged that the proposal was quickly rejected.
Several major economies such as France, Spain, and Italy are said not to be contributing as much as their economic capacity.
“What I want to achieve is that the burden is shared more evenly, with a more balanced distribution of responsibilities,” said Rutte.
“Right now only six or seven allies are doing most of the heavy lifting.”
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