US allies in NATO expect President Donald Trump to continue reducing the US military presence in Europe after the decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, writes Bloomberg, citing senior diplomats from the alliance countries.
According to the agency, NATO allows the withdrawal of additional units, including from Italy, as well as Washington's refusal to deploy long-range American missiles in Germany - the plan was approved during the Joe Biden administration.
Bloomberg sources also do not rule out that the US may refuse to participate in some military exercises and redistribute its forces from European countries that Trump is dissatisfied with to countries that support his policy. A similar scenario was discussed during Trump's first presidential term, when he considered increasing the contingent in Poland, the article states.
Sources of the publication said that their forecasts were based on Trump's public statements and on the conversations of alliance representatives with their American counterparts about the future plans of the United States regarding NATO.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera" on May 9, Trump said that the United States "is still considering" the issue of withdrawing troops from Italian bases.
The United States will reduce the number of military contingents in Germany by much more than 5 thousand servicemen, the American leader said in early May. The withdrawal of the contingent could take from six months to a year. The Pentagon notes that as of December 2025, there were over 36,000 US military personnel in Germany, as well as about 1,500 reservists and 11,500 civilian employees.
CBS News sources in the Pentagon linked this step to Trump's dissatisfaction with the level of support from European allies during the conflict with Iran.