NATO Commander Confirms Withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. Troops from Europe
Kyiv • UNN
The U.S. will withdraw 5,000 troops from Europe due to the strengthening of allied armies. The reduction will affect units in Poland and Germany without compromising support for Ukraine.
NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, confirmed that the US will withdraw 5,000 troops from Europe in accordance with the plans of the Donald Trump administration. This was reported by The Guardian, according to UNN.
Details
According to Grynkewich, a "significant number" of troops will be withdrawn from an armored brigade returning from Germany. Additionally, the US will scale back the previously planned deployment of a long-range fires battalion in Poland.
As noted by The Guardian, this decision has caused concern and confusion among the Polish military and political leadership. At the same time, Grynkewich explained the reduction of the US presence by the fact that NATO's European allies have significantly increased their own military potential in recent years.
NATO allows for further reduction of the American presence
Grynkewich stated that the Baltic states and Poland have substantially strengthened their land forces.
"Capabilities in the ground domain are significantly greater than they were before,"
The NATO commander also suggested that the US might continue to redeploy troops from Europe in the future. According to him, this is envisioned by the new US National Defense Strategy, which stipulates greater responsibility for European allies for their own defense.
"We should expect the redeployment of American troops over time as allies build up their capabilities,"
He added that this process will take "several years" and will depend on how quickly NATO countries fulfill their defense obligations.
At the same time, the general assured that the current "adjustments" by the US "do not affect the execution of NATO's regional plans." Separately, he stated that support for Ukraine continues, and all deliveries agreed upon by the allies are "arriving," despite reports of delays.