European Allies Appeal to US to Avert a Shock Troop Reduction

US Army soldiers take part in a drill in Grafenwoehr, Germany, in 2024.Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg
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European allies are urging the US to coordinate on any plans to reduce its military presence on the continent to avoid destabilizing NATO defenses, according to people familiar with the matter.

European officials have accepted that President Donald Trump’s administration will almost certainly withdraw some of the roughly 80,000 US troops deployed in Europe, including in some of the eastern countries most exposed to the threat from Russia, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private conversations. Their focus is on mitigating the worst effect of such a shift.