NATO ministers comment on Trump's about face on US troop moves in Europe

(22 May 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Helsingborg, Sweden - 22 May 2026

1. Wide of Swedish foreign minister arriving
2. Close of camera operator
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Maria Malmer Stenergard, Swedish foreign minister:
"Well, it is confusing indeed and not always easy to navigate. I guess you feel the same as I do. But we need to continue to focus on what we do and not what everyone else says. So, we need to continue to invest in our own defense and our own capabilities. We need the U.S. to stay involved. But it is also natural that as we ramp up, they also reduce a little of their presence in Europe. I welcome it if they increase their presence in Poland, since it's on the eastern flank where we have the big threat, just like you said."
4. Mid of NATO poster
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Margus Tsahkna, Estonian foreign minister:
"I'm not a concerned person. I'm very practical. Yesterday evening we also heard and saw President Trump's tweet about 5,000 extra troops to Poland. So this is one defense theater. It's all connected to each other. But of course, everything we are talking about regarding NATO deterrence and U.S. troops in Europe is part of a full picture, and it must happen in a coordinated way, whatever happens. And of course, we are not only talking about Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, we are talking about the eastern flank and Europe. This is also my message to our U.S. partners: let's do it in a more coordinated way."
6. Mid of photographers
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Espen Barth Eide, Norwegian foreign minister:
"We recognize that there is a desire to draw down troop numbers. That has been said for a long time. What is important is that this happens in a structured manner so that Europe is able to build up as the U.S. reduces its presence."
8. Mid of cameras
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Kęstutis Budrys, Lithuanian foreign minister:
"We strongly believe that it is in the United States' interest to maintain deployments in Europe. That is the most effective form of deterrence. It is the cheapest way to keep the continent at peace. It is also beneficial militarily for the United States. It is in our interest to have them on the very front line because this is the most effective deterrence, and we provide the best host nation support, state-of-the-art housing and all the necessary training conditions. So I believe there will be a long-lasting solution, based on the indicators we are hearing right now."
10. Mid of Budrys leaving
STORYLINE:
Foreign ministers attending a NATO meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, reacted Friday to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland.

Trump announced Thursday that the United States would deploy the troops, creating uncertainty after weeks of shifting statements from the administration about reducing — not increasing — the American military footprint in Europe.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard described the situation as “confusing” but stressed that Europe still needed continued U.S. engagement.

“We need the U.S. to stay involved,” Stenergard said, adding that it was “natural” for European countries to increase their own defense capabilities while the United States gradually reduced part of its military presence in Europe.

She also welcomed a stronger U.S. presence in Poland, calling the eastern flank of NATO the alliance’s main security concern.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said NATO’s eastern flank should be viewed as a single defense theater and called for any changes in troop deployments to be coordinated among allies.
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