NATO allies welcome Trump's turnaround on Poland troop deployment

World NATO allies welcome Trump's Poland troop announcement, but say messaging "confusing indeed" By Frank Andrews Frank Andrews Journalist Frank Andrews is a CBS News journalist based in London. Read Full Bio Frank Andrews May 22, 2026 / 8:29 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google London — America's NATO allies were left scratching their heads Friday after President Trump announced a deployment of U.S. forces to Poland, reversing a decision to cancel the plan, with one European foreign minister calling the administration's messaging "confusing indeed." On Thursday, Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post he was "pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland."It wasn't clear whether the troops would be based in the country permanently or on a rotational basis.His statement came two days after Vice President JD Vance defended a previously announced decision to cancel the planned deployment of 4,000 forces to Poland, saying the country "is capable of defending itself with a lot of support from the United States." Vance accused the media of "overreacting" to "a very minor thing." Soldiers of the U.S. Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment Stryker Brigade participate in the Amber Shock 26 portion of the Saber Strike 26 NATO military exercises, May 6, 2026, near Bemowo Piskie, Poland. Sean Gallup/Getty At a meeting Friday in Sweden of NATO foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, European leaders welcomed Mr. Trump's announcement, but some acknowledged difficulty in keeping pace with the messaging from Washington amid tension between the allies. Mr. Trump and his cabinet have bashed NATO members for refusing to join the offensive operations against Iran launched by the U.S. and Israel almost three months ago."All's well that ends well," Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said Friday.His Swedish counterpart, Maria Malmer Stenergard, was more blunt, telling reporters the U.S. pos...