Europe fears that the U.S. will withdraw 20,000 of its troops from the continent – The Washington Post

Europe fears that the US will withdraw up to 20,000 of its military personnel from the continent.

This was reported by The Washington Post, citing sources.

According to the publication, a NATO diplomat stated that he would not be surprised by the withdrawal of US troops from Europe.

“Three European diplomats said they expect the withdrawal of approximately 20,000 American military personnel, which the Biden administration announced at the beginning of the war in Ukraine,” the report says.

It is noted that the US administration had warned Europeans long before the second term of the current president, Donald Trump, that priorities would be shifted elsewhere, including to the Indo-Pacific region.

At the same time, Trump himself and his officials have never confirmed such intentions. However, despite this, Europe fears that the withdrawal of some American troops could become part of a deal between Washington and Moscow to ease “strategic tensions.”

Earlier, The Telegraph reported that France is offering Europe its nuclear umbrella to replace the US in the event of a troop withdrawal. In particular, Paris is ready to deploy fighter jets with nuclear weapons in Germany.

Additionally, Bild wrote that European intelligence agencies fear the withdrawal of American troops from Eastern European EU countries.