WASHINGTON, April 9. /TASS/. The United States has not yet worked out a decision on the levels of further US military presence in Europe, it will be taken following the results of talks between Moscow and Washington, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said after his visit to Panama.
"I would just start by saying [that] the only person who will make a determination about the force structure of US troops in Europe will be President [Donald] Trump, the commander-in-chief. We will continue to have ongoing discussions, including in the context of the Ukraine-Russia negotiations, about what our force posture should be on the continent that best addresses American interests and ensures burden-sharing in Europe as well," Hegseth said at a joint press conference with Panama's Public Security Minister Frank Abrego.
The top US defense official did not specify whether he shared the opinion of US European Command (USEUCOM) head General Christopher Cavoli, who said on April 8 that the United States must to maintain a reinforced contingent in Europe. Hegseth also did not clarify whether Washington was ready to hand over the post of Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) to the Europeans.
Earlier, NBC reported, citing US and European officials, that the Pentagon is considering withdrawing up to 10,000 troops from Eastern Europe. According to their information, this is about half of the group of 20,000 troops sent by the previous US administration to the countries bordering Ukraine in 2022.