US may pull 10,000 troops from eastern Europe: NBC
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The United States could withdraw 10,000 troops from eastern Europe, NBC News reported Tuesday, in a move some analysts fear would embolden Russia.
About 20,000 extra troops were deployed to the region in 2022 under then-president Joe Biden, reinforcing NATO's eastern flank after Russia invaded Ukraine.
NBC quoted six US and European officials as confirming discussions about halving the deployment by cutting numbers in Romania and Poland.
President Donald Trump is pushing for a speedy end to the more than three-year war in Ukraine since taking office but has failed to reach a breakthrough.
He has repeatedly criticized NATO, and insisted that Europe take more responsibility for its defense by boosting military spending and taking the lead in arming Ukraine.
But when asked during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday if there were plans to change the US military footprint in eastern Europe, General Christopher Cavoli indicated that there were not.
"The principal locations where we have forces right now, that's where they are, and that's where I'm planning to keep them," Cavoli -- the head of US European Command -- told lawmakers.
Any downsizing of US forces would increase President Vladimir Putin's "willingness to meddle in various ways across the spectrum in Europe," Seth Jones, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told NBC.
About 100,000 American troops are currently stationed in Europe, with 65,000 based permanently on the continent, while the rest are rotating staff and reinforcements.