US has not decided on further troop cuts in Europe, Rubio says

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, May 8, downplayed the planned withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany, saying President Donald Trump has not yet decided whether to remove additional forces from Europe, even as concerns grow over strains in the transatlantic relationship.

Speaking in Rome after meetings with senior Italian officials, Rubio sought to distance the troop reduction from Trump’s ongoing criticism of NATO and its members, including Italy, over what he sees as insufficient support for the US war against Iran.

However, Rubio’s remarks are unlikely to ease European concerns about the reliability of US security commitments. While he reaffirmed his longstanding support for NATO, he did not rule out the possibility of further troop reductions, emphasizing that no final decision has been made.

The reduction in Germany, announced by the Pentagon last week, is “already ongoing,” Rubio said. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has drawn criticism from Trump over his stance on the Iran war, has also attempted to play down the move.

“The troops represent less than 14% of our total troop presence there,” Rubio said at a press conference Friday. “That’s already pre-programmed. In fact, all it did take us back to where we were in 2022.”

“There was always a plan to do some shifting within NATO,” he added.

Despite these assurances, European officials remain concerned about the broader implications. Trump has previously threatened deeper cuts to US troop levels in Germany, and European allies have received little clarity about his intentions. Efforts by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to highlight allied contributions, including support for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, have appeared to have limited impact on Trump’s criticism of the alliance.

Rubio echoed some of the president’s concerns, suggesting that NATO’s value could be called into question if US forces in Europe are no longer positioned to respond to other contingencies.

“If one of the main reasons why the US is in NATO is the ability to have forces deployed in Europe that we can project to other contingencies, and now that’s no longer the case – at least when it comes to some NATO members – that’s a problem and has to be examined,” he said.

“Ultimately, that’s a decision for the president to make. His team and people like myself and others will provide him what those potential options are, but ultimately he’ll have to make that decision. He hasn’t made those decisions yet,” Rubio added.

During his visit, Rubio met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He said they “didn’t discuss any specifics” such as a potential US withdrawal from NATO or troop reductions in Italy. As a senator, Rubio had co-sponsored legislation aimed at preventing a president from unilaterally withdrawing the United States from the alliance.

According to a State Department readout, the two leaders discussed “the importance of continued transatlantic collaboration to address global threats.”

“A frank dialogue,” Meloni said on X, “between allies who defend their own national interests but who both know how precious Western unity is.”

By Tamilla Hasanova