US may withdraw 20,000 troops from Europe

^{Photo: AFP}
The Trump administration may withdraw 20,000 additional troops from Europe, sent by former President Joe Biden, The Washington Post reported, citing sources.

In January, an unnamed European diplomat gave similar information. In mid-February, former US Ambassador to NATO Julie Smith also spoke about the possibility of withdrawing 20,000 American troops.

On February 14, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth urged not to assume that “America’s presence (in Europe) will last forever” during the Munich Security Conference. However, he stressed that the level of European troops on the continent is important.

The New York Times reported that EU officials are expecting tens of thousands of US troops to leave Europe after the meeting with Hegseth. European leaders want assurances that if the US troop drawdown does occur, it will not be the result of negotiations between Washington and Moscow.

Trump's rapprochement with Russia is worrying European countries. They fear that Washington will accept Moscow's demand to force NATO to withdraw from Eastern Europe, leaving Russia's neighbors vulnerable. This could happen before Europe has time to strengthen its defenses.

The number of US troops in Europe has been between 75,000 and 105,000 since 2022, with about 63,000 permanently stationed in the region. The largest number of them is concentrated in Germany (about 35,000).

In the 1950s and 1990s, the number of US troops in Europe exceeded 200,000-400,000. American military bases are located in Germany, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, the Baltic States and other European countries. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”