Europe expects Trump to withdraw more US troops from continent – Bloomberg
Bloomberg reports that US allies in Europe expect US President Donald Trump to withdraw additional troops from the continent after announcing the pullout of 5,000 service members from Germany.
Source: Bloomberg, citing sources
Details: According to sources, senior diplomats from NATO member states believe Trump may announce further troop reductions, possibly including Italy, and scrap a plan developed under former US President Joe Biden to deploy long-range missiles in Germany.
Other scenarios reportedly include the US withdrawing from certain military exercises and relocating troops from countries Washington is dissatisfied with to those considered more loyal to Trump. This idea dates back to Trump's first term, when he considered deploying additional troops to Poland.
Sources said their expectations are based on Trump's public statements and discussions between NATO officials and their American counterparts about future plans regarding the alliance.
On Saturday, Trump spoke by phone with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera and said the US is "still considering" withdrawing troops from bases in Italy. He declined to comment on the redeployment from Germany. He also noted that the US has always supported Italy, whereas "Italy wasn't there when we needed it".
These potential steps are seen as another signal of Trump's dissatisfaction with some NATO allies, such as Germany and Spain, which he believes have not provided sufficient support in the US and Israel's war against Iran.
NATO has not yet been informed which specific units will be withdrawn from Germany, but officials believe the US is considering options for a rapid pullout.
Currently, around 85,000 US troops are stationed across Europe, although the number fluctuates as units rotate or reinforcements are deployed for military exercises.
Meanwhile, NATO officials and senior diplomats say they still believe that congressional constraints and the US strategic reliance on Europe will limit Trump's ability to implement large-scale changes.
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