US President Donald Trump surprised NATO allies by pledging to send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, only hours before Secretary of State Marco Rubio was to meet alliance ministers in Sweden on Friday amid deep divisions over the Iran war. Trump, in a Truth Social post, cited his relationship with Poland's conservative nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, as the reason behind his decision to send additional troops. "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 said in the post. It was a surprising turnabout after weeks in which Trump fiercely criticized NATO members for not doing more to help the US-Israeli military campaign. He has said he is considering withdrawing from the alliance and questioned whether Washington was bound to honor its mutual defense pact. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Trump's decision regarding the presence of American troops in Poland is "good news for Poland and the USA." "I thank everyone involved in this matter, President (of Poland) Nawrocki, ministers, congressmen, and friends of Poland in the USA for their effectiveness and unity of action," he wrote on the X platform. Poland will certainly not lose any US troops, and could gain either in terms of having more troops or a permanent US presence in the country, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Friday. "One thing is certain, Poland is certainly not losing what it had - around 10,000 soldiers," he told reporters.
