The US is preparing for negotiations on reducing the American contingent in Europe

The United States will begin discussions with European allies on reducing American troops in Europe later this year, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Friday. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.

Details

Commenting on reports that the Trump administration is considering withdrawing troops from Europe, Whitaker said: "No decisions have been made yet."

"But as soon as they are, we will hold these talks within the NATO structure," Whitaker said.

"This will definitely happen after the summit, sometime later this year we will start these discussions... All our allies are ready for this," he added, referring to the NATO summit in The Hague, which will take place in June.

Speaking at a security conference in Estonia, Whitaker stressed that the United States will hold discussions on any changes in troop numbers with allies to avoid security gaps.

For more than 30 years, the United States has sought to reduce its military presence in Europe. President Trump simply said: enough, it will happen, and it will happen now. It will be streamlined, but we will no longer tolerate delays in this matter... We just need to work out the practical implications

Addition

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told NATO allies in February that "harsh strategic reality does not allow the United States of America to focus primarily on the security of Europe."

In March, The Atlantic magazine reported that Hegseth and Vice President Jay Dee Vance complained about European allies in a chat group. According to The Atlantic, Hegseth expressed his "disgust at European freeloading."

Such statements have fueled fears in Europe about the U.S. commitment to NATO, along with Trump's threats not to defend members who spend too little on defense and his reluctance to continue supporting Ukraine in the war against the Russian invasion.

Whitaker said that the U.S. is not withdrawing troops: "The United States will remain in this alliance, and we will be a great friend and a reliable ally."

Let us remind you

The European Union called on the US to coordinate plans to reduce troops in Europe so as not to weaken NATO's defense. The decision to withdraw troops could undermine efforts to deter Russian aggression.