NATO's chief Mark Rutte said on Friday he welcomed US President Donald Trump's announcement to send 5,000 troops to Poland, through he added the trend is still towards a stronger Europe less reliant on the United States for its defense. "Let's be clear: the trajectory 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 ... will continue", Rutte told reporters ahead of a NATO meeting in Sweden's Helsingborg.