Confusion in recent days over what number of American troops will be stationed in Poland reveals chaos in Donald Trump’s administration and has caused an erosion of trust in the US president among NATO allies, according to analysts. Oana Lungescu, a former NATO spokesperson and an expert at the Royal United Services Institute, and Garvan Walshe, a political strategist and co-founder of Article 7, a European civic tech and political strategy company, discussed the issue on TVP World’s Wider View from Brussels program. The debate followed contradictory announcements: the Pentagon said it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, then halted a planned deployment of around 4,000 soldiers to Poland, before Trump said the US would send an additional 5,000 soldiers to Poland. “It's kind of typical Trump administration chaos,” Walshe said, arguing that allies were being forced to “scramble” after unpredictable announcements from Washington. Lungescu said the broader trend is clear: the US is reducing its military footprint in Europe while expecting European allies to do more. But she warned that confusing messaging from the White House and Pentagon “doesn’t help.” ‘Trust has been eroded’ by Trump “It’s a matter of trust,” she said. “Trust has been eroded by President Trump.” Walshe said Europe must be able to act even if Washington hesitates, including by developing independent capabilities and exercising separately. Lungescu cautioned against creating alternatives to NATO, but agreed that Europe must strengthen its own defense. “We need to do the things we have pledged to do for our own defense, not to please Trump,” she said.
