Rutte: US to immediately begin reduction of troops in Europe

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has stated that the reduction of US troop levels in Europe will begin immediately, while expressing hope that the United States would do maximum to defend the EU in the event of war.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of a meeting of NATO defence ministers, he said it must be clearly understood that NATO force configuration is a planning tool, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

According to him, in reality, if war starts and Article 5 is triggered, then all NATO countries, including the US, will do everything possible to ensure that NATO can conduct warfare.

Rutte stressed that NATO planning must take into account the fact that the US is reducing its involvement, while Europeans are now filling that space by expanding their armed forces.

In his view, some EU countries are already doing so, while others are preparing.

The United States has begun reducing its combat forces in Europe since the beginning of the year, with initial cuts affecting deployments in Poland and Germany.

Washington has urged EU countries to take greater responsibility for conventional security in Europe, while pledging to retain intelligence, command-and-control, and logistical capabilities, as well as maintaining its nuclear defence commitments to Europe.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov