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Trump pushes NATO troop cuts in Europe despite Russia’s threat

Pentagon said “stark strategic realities” prevent focus on Europe—but won’t explain what they are.
byOlena Mukhina
17/05/2025
3 minute read
Polish paratroopers holding the United States and Ukrainian state flags during the NATO military exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 in Poland. (Source: Sgt. A.M. LaVey via Wikimedia)
Polish paratroopers holding the United States and Ukrainian state flags during the NATO military exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 in Poland. (Source: Sgt. A.M. LaVey via Wikimedia)
Trump pushes NATO troop cuts in Europe despite Russia’s threat

Despite the persistent threat from Russia, the US is considering reducing its military presence on the continent, Reuters reports. 

Security experts and European leaders increasingly warn that Russia’s threat to Europe remains, regardless of any potential ceasefire or peace settlement with Ukraine. In April, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service head, Sergey Naryshkin, accused NATO of escalating military activity near Russia’s borders. He warned that Poland and the Baltic states would be the first to suffer in the event of a war between Moscow and the Alliance.

The US plans to begin talks with European allies on reducing its military presence in Europe after the NATO summit in The Hague, scheduled for June.

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker states that no final decision has been made yet, but the process has the support of allies and will be organized within NATO frameworks.

According to him, the initiative reflects the US President Donald Trump administration’s position, which insists on accelerating a process that has been delayed for over 30 years. At the same time, Whitaker assured that the US will remain in NATO and uphold its allied commitments.

“The United States is going to remain in this alliance, and we are going to be a great friend an a great ally,” Whitaker says.

He also warns the European Union against restricting defense procurement to EU-only companies, stating that doing so would undermine NATO interoperability, slow down Europe’s rearmament, increase costs, and stifle innovation.

In February, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO that “stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe,” but not explaining what they were. 

Earlier, during high-level talks in Saudi Arabia, Russian officials explicitly demanded that Washington withdraw NATO troops from Eastern Europe as a precondition for “normalizing relations” and ending the war in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported. 

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