NEW YORK, February 20. /TASS/. The United States is considering the possibility of reducing its military presence in Europe as its focus is shifting to the Asia-Pacific region and the Mexico border, NBC News reported, citing sources.
According to the media outlet, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth privately told the Ukrainians at a closed-door meeting with Vladimir Zelensky that US President Donald Trump was considering drawing down US forces in European countries. This information was confirmed to NBC News by five US officials and a person familiar with the meeting.
They pointed out that the Pentagon chief’s statement had "stunned" the Ukrainian delegation as Kiev saw such prospects as a long-term security threat.
The US Department of Defense officially denied such remarks by Hegseth. When asked by NBC News to comment on the information received from the sources, a Pentagon spokesperson said that it was "100% false," adding that the defense chief "made no announcement on, nor timeline for, a drawdown of US troops in Europe."
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth last week urged that the EU take on the responsibility for its own defense. Given his statements and remarks by other US officials, Europe has begun to fear that Washington could scale back its troops on the subcontinent. However, the White House has not officially announced any such plans. NATO Military Committee Chair Giuseppe Cavo Dragone did not rule out in an interview with Bloomberg on February 17 that the US might withdraw some of its troops from Europe but would not completely depart from the alliance.