Trump plans to reduce US troops in Europe 20 thousand
Harici 1/24/25
US President Donald Trump plans to reduce the number of US troops in Europe by about 20 thousand and demand financial contributions from European allies for the costs of the remaining troops. Trump wants Europe to invest more in its own security, aiming for NATO members to increase its defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. In the context of the Ukraine crisis, it is stated that Trump thinks that Europe should assume its financial obligations.
Although Donald Trump's policies are unpredictable, some clues about the future of the US military commitments in Europe are becoming apparent.
Trump has no plans for a sudden withdrawal from either Europe or Ukraine (for now). However, in return, it demands that European allies both take more responsibility in the field of security and increase financial contribution.
The US President wants to reduce the number of soldiers stationed on this side of the Atlantic by "one-fifth" (about 20 thousand troops) and "financial contribution" from Europe for the costs of the remaining troops.
“Trump's logic is that US soldiers provide deterrence, but this cost cannot be borne only on American taxpayers,” an unnamed European diplomatic source told the Italian ANSA agency.
According to the source, it is not yet clear how much Europe will pay; negotiations are at an early stage. Trump's contacts with European leaders are preparing the ground for concrete policies. The first step is to increase military spending.
Trump brought NATO's new standard back to the agenda as 5 percent of GDP. This is a rate well above the current 2 percent target.
On the other hand, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, in her speech at the European Defense Agency (EDA) event, said, “Trump is right that we do not allocate enough resources to the defense. While EU countries spent an average of 1.9 percent of GDP last year, Russia's share was 9 percent," he said.
Lithuanian Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius went further and said, "In the coming years, we will allocate 5-6 percent of GDP to defense. Of course, I take sides as a Lithuanian, but I think this is a necessity," he commented.
Beyond Trump's harsh statements, there is a clear roadmap to get the EU back on track. The process, which started with the defense-focused informal meeting of 27 EU leaders on February 3, will form the basis for the "white paper" prepared by Kallas and Kubilius together.
In NATO, efforts are being made to raise the defense capacity targets of the countries to the ministerial meeting in May.
Then, at the end of June, the decision-making mechanisms will be activated with the NATO summit in the Netherlands and the EU Leaders' Summit in Brussels. According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the "magic figure" can be around 3.6 percent (USA's current spending is 3.3 percent).
In addition, the diplomatic source stated that Trump has given up on the idea of a unilateral withdrawal from Ukraine, concerning that it will be interpreted as a “second Kabul”: “He does not want his name to be mentioned with such a scenario.”