The US has confirmed it will discuss scaling back its troop presence in Europe with allies in what would be a major blow to NATO strength on the continent. American ambassador to the military alliance Matthew Whitaker said no decisions had been made after being asked to respond to reports that the Trump administration is mulling over withdrawing troops from Europe.
He said: “But as soon as we do, we are going to have these conversations in the structure of NATO. It will be certainly after the summit, sometime later in the year, we are going to start those conversations.”
The US has an estimated 128,000 troops stationed in nations across Europe, according to the Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think tank. The move would likely spark panic among NATO members in Europe as WW3 fears grow throughout the continent.
But Mr Whitaker, speaking at a security conference in Estonia, said the US would work towards ensuring no security gaps are formed.
He said the US and its allies “need to work through the practical consequences”.
During his first presidency, Donald Trump sought to withdraw around 12,000 soldiers from Germany, but the Biden administration later cancelled this plan.
Speculation over the White House considering reducing its troop numbers in Europe has come amid Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine and wider concerns over Washington’s commitment to security on the continent.
The US President, who has been a regular critic of Europe and NATO, previously said he would not defend alliance members not paying enough for their own defence, saying: “It’s common sense, right.
“If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them.”
The Trump administration has signalled European security is not of primary concern and the President has urged NATO countries to spend 5% of their GDP on defence – something no alliance member, including the US, is currently doing.
