Donald Trump commented on Wednesday 9 April with journalists in the Oval Office on an American military presence in Europe and indicated what it would depend on if he left all American soldiers on our continent.
– That depends. We pay a lot for the military in Europe. We don't get much refund. South Korea, too. So it's going to be 1 of the things we're discussing that's not related to trade, but I think we're going to make it a part of it due to the fact that it makes sense. It would be good to wrap all of this together," said the president of the United States.
According to NBC News, an intense consultation is underway at the Pentagon on the anticipation of withdrawing 10,000 soldiers from 20,000 additional deployed by the Biden administration after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A full of around 80,000 US Army soldiers are stationed in Europe.
Pressures on ceasefire and changing Trump's priorities
According to NBC News, talks at the Pentagon are taking place in parallel with Trump's behind-the-clock attempts to convince Vladimir Putin to agree to ceasefire. interior analyses concern mainly the presence of US troops in Romania and Poland.
The head of the U.S. European Command and NATO's ultimate allied commander General Chris Cavali expressed his opposition to the plans to reduce forces in east Europe on Tuesday. – I consistently recommended throughout this period to keep the forces we moved forward, and I would inactive do so," said General Chris Cavali.
In the context of this decision, there is besides a question of changing the strategical priorities of the US. Secretary of defence Pete Hegseth in February this year during his visit to Brussels stressed that the United States must focus on the Indo-Pacific region and safe its own confederate border.
Trump hits China
The confusion around the possible withdrawal of parts of the American troops from Europe is part of a wider shift in Trump's policy. The president of the United States is presently focusing on strengthening trade relations with China. On Wednesday, he announced a further increase in customs duties towards this country.
"Because of the deficiency of respect that China has shown towards global markets, I hereby rise the work imposed on China by the United States of America to 125 percent with immediate effect," Trump wrote on the fact Social platform.
At the same time, he announced a 90-day suspension of duties towards another countries, indicating that more than 75 countries had begun negotiations with Washington on trade barriers. During this period, 10% of them will apply.
As NBC News emphasises, a simplification in forces in Europe could slow down the funds needed to invest in modern military weapons and technologies and let the US to shift resources towards strategical challenges in Asia. However, according to experts, weakening the "repeating" in east Europe could make a dangerous gap that Russia could exploit.
