Germany troop cuts send wrong signal to Russia, say two top US Republicans
Just nowYang TianLuke Sharrett via Getty ImagePresident Donald Trump has said the US will be sending an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, a week after the Pentagon cancelled a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to the country.Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the decision was based on the US's relationship with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom he backed during presidential elections last year.The US president did not provide further details on whether the additional troops were part of the previous planned deployment or a different operation.The White House has signalled in recent weeks that it intends to reduce its overall troop levels in Europe as part of its "America First" agenda.Earlier this month, the US also announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany after a row between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war with Iran.Trump previously criticised Merz over his suggestion that the US had been "humiliated" by Iranian negotiators.It is unclear whether the additional troops for Poland were part of those withdrawing from Germany or a separate group.He has also been critical of Washington's Nato allies for their unwillingness to join the US in pressuring Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.Foreign ministers from Nato countries will meet in Sweden on Friday at a summit that includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.Rubio is expected to call for increased burden sharing from Washington's Nato partners.Ahead of the meeting, the BBC asked him about unconfirmed reports that the US could shrink its total troop numbers available in the event of an attack on a Nato country.Rubio said "some of those issues" will be discussed at the summit, adding that Trump remained very upset and disappointed with Nato allies.Trump's announcement on Thursday comes a week after the defence department abruptly said it was cancelling the deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland.US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth later said the cancellation was "a temporary delay" of the planned deployment and the US will continue to ensure it "retains a strong military presence" in Poland.Nawrocki has long been a staunch Trump supporter and earned his endorsement before winning Poland's presidential election.Speaking to the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme in January, the Polish president said Trump is the only world leader capable of stopping Vladimir Putin and ending the war in Ukraine.Despite Trump's previous criticism of the Nato alliance and his European counterparts, Nawrocki insisted the US was still the guarantor of security in Europe. Several Republican lawmakers have previously criticised Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Germany, saying it risked sending the wrong message to Russia.The US military deployment in Germany is by far its biggest in Europe, currently at more than 36,000 active duty troops compared to about 12,000 troops in Italy and a further 10,000 in the UK.
