Trump pledges extra troops for Poland as Rubio cautions allies

Añadido: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]This is not a decision that was made on the back of a napkin. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned NATO allies that the number of US troops in Europe will change hours after President Donald Trump surprised them by pledging thousands of troops would be sent to Poland. But Rubio said such decisions were technical, not political. First of all, the United States has global commitments for our military. So, we are constantly reevaluating where we're positioning forces. I think, you know, what's happening now is that any decision that's announced or made is viewed through the broader context of some of the, you know, the frictions that we've had in recent months. Trump announcing a plan to send an extra 5,000 troops to Poland appeared to be an about-face. It came a week after the Pentagon said it was canceling the deployment of thousands of troops there.

[00:00:46]On Friday, NATO allies and Secretary General Mark Rutte applauded the shift.

[00:00:52]Our military commanders are working through all the details, but of course I welcome it.

[00:00:56]Um but let's be clear. Uh the the trajectory we we are on, which is a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO, making sure we will over time, step by step, be less reliant on one ally only as we have been for so long, which is the United States. It was Rubio's first meeting with NATO allies since the war on Iran sparked deep divisions inside the block with Trump saying he was considering withdrawing from the alliance. In a in a moment of conflict >> Rubio cautioned NATO ministers that Washington's frustration with some of them would still need to be discussed.

[00:01:29]>> If you go back 30 years, there's never been a time in which there hasn't been a debate in American politics about what our presence and our contribution to NATO should be. And that is always driven by what is the value of NATO to the United States. I understand NATO's valuable to Europe, and it should be. It also has to be valuable to the United States. Trump has fiercely criticized NATO members for not doing more to help the US-Israeli military campaign on Iran. On Friday, Rubio said the US had not asked NATO for help on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas moves. But, he said there needed to be a plan B if Iran refuses to reopen the waterway. He said the US has seen some progress towards a deal with Iran, but more work is required.