Exclusive: Trump weighs pulling some US troops from Europe amid NATO strains, official says [View all]
Source: Reuters
April 9, 2026 2:17 PM EDT Updated 4 hours ago
WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, upset at NATO allies' failure to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and angry that his plans to acquire Greenland have not advanced, has discussed with advisers the option of removing some U.S. troops from Europe, a senior White House official told Reuters on Thursday.
No decision has been made, and the White House has not directed the Pentagon to draw up concrete plans for a troop reduction on the continent, said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
But the discussions alone underscore how sharply relations between Washington and its European NATO allies have deteriorated in recent months. They also suggest that a visit to the White House on Wednesday by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte failed to significantly improve transatlantic relations, which are arguably at their lowest point since NATO's 1949 founding.
The White House has publicly said that Trump has considered withdrawing from the alliance altogether. Removing troops from Europe would allow Trump to dramatically lessen Washington's security commitments on the continent, without formally withdrawing, a move that would test constitutional law.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-weighs-pulling-some-us-troops-europe-amid-nato-strains-official-says-2026-04-09/
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