US plans Europe troop drawdown talks later this year, NATO envoy confirms

The United States will begin formal discussions with its European allies later this year on reducing its military presence on the continent, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker confirmed on May 16.

Speaking at a security conference in Estonia, Whitaker addressed growing speculation following reports that the Trump administration is preparing to scale back US troop deployments in Europe, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

While insisting that "nothing has been determined" yet, he made clear that plans to initiate such discussions are already underway.

“But as soon as we do, we are going to have these conversations in the structure of NATO,” Whitaker said. “It will be certainly after the summit, sometime later in the year, we are going to start those conversations… All our allies are ready to do it,” he added, referring to the NATO summit scheduled for June in The Hague.

Whitaker emphasised that any adjustments would be made in coordination with NATO partners to avoid security gaps. “It’s more than 30 years of U.S. desire [to reduce troops in Europe]. President Trump just said, enough, this is going to happen and it’s going to happen now. This is going to be orderly, but we are not going to have any more patience for foot-dragging in this situation… We just need to work through the practical consequences,” he said.

The statement follows earlier comments by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who told NATO allies in February that “stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.”

Tensions between Washington and some European allies have risen over perceptions of unequal burden-sharing within NATO. A March report by The Atlantic revealed that both Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance had expressed frustration with European defence spending in private chat groups. According to the publication, Hegseth referred to his “loathing of European free-loading.”

Such rhetoric, along with President Trump’s repeated threats not to defend NATO members that fail to meet spending commitments, and his hesitancy to continue supporting Ukraine’s defence against Russia, has deepened anxiety in European capitals over Washington’s long-term commitment to transatlantic security.

However, Whitaker sought to reassure allies that Washington is not abandoning the alliance. “The United States is going to remain in this alliance, and we are going to be a great friend and a great ally,” he said.

He also cautioned the European Union against closing off its defence sector to non-EU firms, warning that such a move could undermine NATO interoperability, slow Europe's rearmament, raise costs, and suppress innovation.