NATO still in the dark over US plans to withdraw 5000 troops

Published on 05/05/2026 - 12:51 GMT+2

NATO is inactive assessing the broader implications of the US determination to chopped astatine slightest 5000 US troops from NATO territory, elder subject spokesperson Col. Martin O'Donnell told the Europe Today show.

The 32-member confederation presently hosts astir 80,000 US forces crossed European territory, and O'Donnell says it’s ‘business arsenic usual’ until much details look connected which operations volition beryllium affected.

“All those things are inactive nether consideration,” Colonel Martin O’Donnell told Euronews.

The Pentagon has abruptly announced that the unit withdrawal volition instrumentality spot wrong the adjacent 6 to 9 months and volition impact the 36,500 US forces stationed successful Germany.

Days later, US President Donald Trump said helium would trim the beingness “a batch further” successful the aboriginal but nary further details person been provided.

Washington's determination was taken amid a nationalist feud with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz past week erstwhile Merz slammed the US warfare successful Iran for being ill-conceived.

Trump reacted powerfully to comments made by Merz, who besides said that White House negotiators were being “humiliated” by Iran.

"We ​are moving with the U.S. ⁠to recognize the details of ​their determination connected unit posture successful ​Germany. This accommodation underscores the request for Europe to proceed to put much ​in defence and instrumentality connected ​a greater stock of the work for ‌our ⁠shared security," NATO spokesperson Alison Harte said connected Saturday.

Several days aft the U.S. announcement, the Pentagon has inactive not shared its strategy with European allies, creating challenges for Europeans who indispensable program however to compensate for the imaginable nonaccomplishment of U.S. forces.

But NATO is downplaying the interaction the announcement volition person connected Europe's unit posture, contempt the warfare successful Ukraine, and ongoing Russian aggression done the Kremlin's hybrid warfare activities crossed NATO territory.

O’Donnell noted that the US had antecedently indicated that specified a determination was yet inevitable. As a result, Europe has been bolstering its defences successful anticipation, aiming to bounds the interaction of the nonaccomplishment of much than 5,000 American troops.

“The United States has said, look, this isn't happening overnight. This volition hap implicit a six-to-12-month period," said O'Donnell.

However, helium acknowledged that caller tensions wrong the alliance—particularly the quality implicit Greenland—were damaging morale.

"Yes, 1 cannot flight the news, but I deliberation what each of the countries wrong NATO, each 32 countries request to recognize is the subject members who I correspond wrong the alliance, we are focused connected our mission, which is deterring and defending," helium said.

“From a NATO perspective, successful presumption of our deterrence and antiaircraft plans, this doesn't alteration anything,” helium said.

Video editor • Frederic Garcon