Donald Trump is preparing a major move: the US could withdraw part of the troops from Europe, amid tensions with NATO. Which countries are targeted?
Donald Trump is considering the possibility of reducing the US military presence in Europe, amid growing tensions with NATO allies, while several scenarios are being discussed in Washington, without a final decision yet being made.
The US is considering withdrawing part of its troops from Europe. PHOTO: archive
Donald Trump is again discussing with his advisers the possibility of withdrawing part of the American troops stationed in Europe, against the background of dissatisfaction with NATO allies and the deterioration of transatlantic relations in recent months, a high-ranking White House official told Reuters on Thursday, April 9.
According to him, the discussions are still at the internal level, at this moment no decision has been made, and the Pentagon has not received requests to develop concrete plans regarding the reduction of military forces in Europe. The official stressed, however, that the mere analysis of such scenarios reflects the growing tensions between Washington and its European allies.
The United States currently has more than 80,000 troops deployed in Europe, a key component of the continent's security architecture since the end of World War II. About 30,000 of them are stationed in Germany, and important contingents are also in Italy, the United Kingdom and Spain, according to Agerpres.
Sources cited by US officials show that the president is unhappy with the way NATO allies have responded to several recent requests from Washington, including in the context of the conflict in the Middle East, as well as the lack of support for US initiatives on strategic sea routes. Tensions have also been heightened by older disputes over defense spending and divergent positions on major geopolitical issues, including the US's desire to take over Greenland.
The information appears in a context in which the US-NATO relationship has seen a visible deterioration, including after the recent visit of the Secretary General of the Alliance, Mark Rutte, to the White House, which failed to significantly ease the transatlantic situation, considered by some diplomats as one of the most tense periods since the founding of NATO in 1949.
What could be the targeted states
According to a report published by the Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump is analyzing scenarios regarding the withdrawal of troops from European states whose leaders have criticized the recent military actions of the US and Israel in Iran, with the possibility of redeploying them to other countries considered more favorable to Washington's policy.
Other options discussed internally include even returning some of the military to the United States, rather than relocating them to the territory of other allied states.
For now, American officials have not specified which countries could be affected by possible changes, nor the extent of a possible reduction in forces, but the discussions reflect a broader reassessment of the American military presence in Europe in the current geopolitical context.
