USA wants to withdraw soldiers from Eastern Europe: This has consequences for NATO

t-online USA wants to withdraw soldiers from Eastern Europe: This has consequences for NATO Julian Alexander Fischer • 7 hours • 4 minutes reading time Is the USA withdrawing troops? Things are getting tricky Soldiers from the US Army and Bundeswehr during a maneuver in Poland: Will the USA soon withdraw its troops from Eastern Europe? Europe fears that the USA will withdraw its troops from Eastern Europe. This could have significant consequences. Donald Trump wants a deal in the Ukraine war. The USA is now negotiating with Russia for this. Europe is excluded from the negotiations and the results of the negotiations could soon pose major problems for the continent. According to the "Financial Times", several European government representatives expect Trump to withdraw US troops from Europe as part of the agreement. Some even fear that he could order all soldiers to leave Eastern Europe. According to The Economist, some European heads of state and government are already comparing the situation to the Yalta Conference in 1945, when Europe was divided into a Western and a Russian sphere of influence. They fear that Putin will revive his pre-war demand and bring it into talks with the USA, which is to de facto abandon the Central and Eastern European NATO members by withdrawing its troops to the 1997 borders. This is also seen as a realistic scenario in the USA. Julie Smith, US ambassador to NATO until last month, warns in the Economist that the entire eastern flank of NATO would collapse if the USA withdrew its troops. Allies such as Great Britain, France and Germany could consider it too risky to keep their own troops stationed there. Europe could become vulnerable and the Baltic states would be virtually defenseless. In particular, it is expected that the 82nd US Airborne Division, which was most recently deployed to deter and secure NATO's eastern flank, could return home. Overall, the USA currently has around 100,000 soldiers stationed in Europe, of which 15,000 to 20,000 are probably in former Warsaw Pact countries, most of them in Poland. There are currently around 10,000 soldiers there, and the USA opened a new military base there just a few months ago. But there are also several hundred US soldiers in the Baltic states. There are also additional troops in Romania and Bulgaria. After the outbreak of the Ukraine war, then-President Joe Biden increased the contingent in Europe by 20,000 soldiers - many of them came to Germany, where around a third of the US soldiers in Europe are stationed. Is the USA withdrawing 20,000 soldiers? The US troops stationed in Eastern Europe fulfill several tasks. In particular, they serve to deter and defend NATO's eastern flank against potential Russian aggression. This main task could now be eliminated following negotiations with Russia. The US troops are also supposed to ensure the responsiveness of NATO forces, carry out joint exercises with allies and support and train local armed forces. These aspects would also be eliminated by a rapid withdrawal, so NATO's function would in fact be significantly restricted. Recently, there have been increasing signs that the Trump administration now wants to withdraw these 20,000 soldiers. It was expected that Vice President J. D. Vance would announce this at the Munich Security Conference. This did not happen, but concerns about such a step in Europe remain - especially since the US government keeps making contradictory statements. "America's presence will not last forever" Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently stated during his visit to Germany: "There are currently no plans to cut anything." At the same time, he announced that the armed forces situation should be reviewed worldwide. A little later, he warned Europe: "Now is the time to invest, because one cannot assume that America's presence will last forever." At the same time, the USA is apparently currently planning to significantly expand its activities in the Pacific. The costs required for this must be saved elsewhere. An internal report therefore recommends cuts in Europe.