EU Urges US to Refrain from Sharp Troop Cuts in Europe

European countries have called on the United States to coordinate with them any plans to reduce the US military presence on the continent in order not to destabilise NATO defences.

The Gaze reports it with reference to Bloomberg.

According to the agency's sources, Europe has already come to terms with the fact that the administration of President Donald Trump will almost certainly decide to withdraw some of its contingent from some Eastern European countries.

According to the sources, with some of the usual channels of communication disrupted by the upheaval caused by Trump, Europeans fear that they will not be warned in advance of such decisions, and instead will learn from the media about the withdrawal of thousands of US troops.

Instead, the Europeans would like to see a commitment from their American partners to inform them in advance of any withdrawal.

According to diplomats, the main message to the United States was that European allies need time to prepare for a reduction in the US presence.

At the same time, European officials are trying to convince the United States of the benefits of its military presence on the continent.

One senior European diplomat said that they are trying to convince the US that their troops on the continent project political power.

The exact number and locations affected by the planned withdrawal of US troops are not yet known. However, interlocutors note that it could be as many as 20,000 US troops that former President Joe Biden sent to Eastern Europe after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Allies had expected the US to eventually reduce this contingent, the sources said.

According to other people familiar with the matter, the Biden administration has also considered reducing the number of U.S. troops from this number amid concerns about maintaining a high level of readiness.

However, reducing US troop levels beyond those recently deployed by Biden would raise more concerns, European officials say.

The Pentagon is reportedly considering a proposal to withdraw 10,000 troops from Europe, The Gaze reported, citing NBC News.

This information comes as the US Army Europe and Africa Command announced the relocation of US military personnel and equipment from Jasionka Airport in Poland, a key hub for aid to Ukraine.

At the time, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz assured that the withdrawal of the US military from the strategic Rzeszów airport was not a signal that the US was planning to withdraw from Poland altogether.

Later, the Pentagon press service said that the US had not yet made a final decision to reduce its military contingent in Europe.