Trump Weighed U.S. Troop Cut in Europe, CNN Says
Trump discussed cutting U.S. forces in Europe by a third as a possible signal to NATO allies, CNN reported, citing informed sources.
Washington may have considered cutting the U.S. military presence in Europe as a political message to NATO partners. According to CNN, U. S. President Donald Trump discussed in the spring the possibility of reducing American forces in the region by roughly one third.
The network, citing two informed sources, reported that Trump wanted to know what effect such a move would have and whether it would send the right signal to allies in the alliance. The conversation reportedly took place around the same time the Pentagon announced the cancellation of a U.S. troop rotation in Europe and the withdrawal of part of the American contingent from the region.
CNN’s sources linked the idea to Trump’s dissatisfaction with NATO’s position. According to them, the U.S. president was irritated that the alliance had not backed American actions against Iran.
Earlier, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that European countries would not be able to independently replace part of the U.S. military assets that Washington intends to reduce on their territory.