NATO ministers broadly agreed that possible U.S. troop adjustments should be controlled and coordinated, so that capabilities withdrawn by Washington could be replaced by European capacity where needed.
HELSINKI, May 23– NATO foreign ministers’ meeting ended Friday in the southern Swedish city of Helsingborg with European allies seeking clearer and more predictable signals from the United States over its future military posture in Europe.
The two-day meeting came amid uncertainty over U.S. troop deployments in Europe and Washington’s growing criticism of some NATO allies over their response to U.S. operations related to the Iran war.
U.S. President Donald Trump recently surprised NATO allies by announcing that he would send additional troops to Poland, after earlier plans to reduce U.S. troop levels in Europe. The shifting signals have added to European concerns over the predictability of U.S. policy toward the alliance.
Several European ministers said any adjustment to U.S. forces in Europe should be carried out in a coordinated and predictable manner.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said it was important that any U.S. troop reduction take place “in a structured manner” so that Europe would be able to build up its own defense capacity as the United States reduces its presence.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard described the situation surrounding U.S. troop movements as “confusing” and “not always easy to navigate,” saying that allies should manage any changes through official NATO channels.
NATO ministers broadly agreed that possible U.S. troop adjustments should be controlled and coordinated, so that capabilities withdrawn by Washington could be replaced by European capacity where needed.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier Friday that possible adjustments to U.S. troop levels in Europe should not be seen as a “punitive” move, but as part of a continuing review of U.S. global military deployments.
He said NATO had benefited the United States over the years, including by giving Washington access to a network of military bases in Europe and facilitating U.S. force deployments.
However, Rubio said Trump’s disappointment with some NATO allies over their response to U.S. operations in the Middle East would have to be addressed, though not at Friday’s meeting.
“That won’t be solved or addressed today. That’s something for the leaders’ level to discuss,” he said.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said ahead of the meeting that expected changes in U.S. force deployments in Europe should be gradual and coordinated, but should not undermine NATO’s defense plans.
The Helsingborg meeting was part of preparations for the NATO summit scheduled to be held in Ankara, Türkiye, in July. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
