BRUSSELS, June 18. /TASS/. The reduction in US troop levels in Europe will begin "immediately," but in the event of war, the US would do "everything possible" to defend the EU, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated.

"Let me be very clear on this: the NATO Force Model is a planning tool. It's a planning tool. So, what the US has said, and we knew this was coming, because the US has to take care of multiple theaters. They cannot spread their resources too thinly. So, what the US has announced already before, is that they had to lower somewhat their contribution to the NATO Force Model. The question yesterday came up; is this immediate or not? It is immediate," Rutte told reporters ahead of the alliance’s defense ministers’ meeting.

He noted that "in reality, if a war breaks out and Article 5 emerges," then "all allies, including the US, will max out what they can do to make sure we can fight the war."

The NATO chief pointed out that for this reason, "as a planning tool, we have to consider the fact that the US is lowering its contribution, still considerable, but somewhat lower than it was in the past," and "the Europeans are now backfilling it" by expanding their armies. According to Rutte, "some of this is already done, some of this is in progress."

Since the beginning of the year, the US has initiated a process to scale down its combat forces in Europe, announcing that troop levels would first be reduced in Poland and Germany. Washington has called on EU countries to increase their contribution to conventional security in Europe, promising to maintain intelligence, command and control, and logistical support capabilities there, while also reaffirming its commitment to Europe’s nuclear deterrence.

This has sparked a debate about reinstating universal conscription in a number of EU countries - and direct preparations for doing so in Belgium, for example.