US considers pulling troops out of Europe
Matthew Whitaker said proposals to remove tens of thousands of troops from the continent would be discussed 'later in the year'.
Donald Trump has repeatedly admonished Nato countries for failing to meet the defence spending goal of at least 2 per cent of GDP, arguing that the disparity places an unfair burden on the United States.
Asked to comment on a report that Mr Trump is considering withdrawing troops from Europe, Mr Whitaker said 'nothing has been determined' but said that allies were ready to have the discussion.
'But as soon as we do, we are going to have these conversations in the structure of Nato,' said Mr Whitaker.
'It will be certainly after the summit, sometime later in the year, we are going to start those conversations... All our allies are ready to do it,' he added, referring to the Nato summit in The Hague in June.
In March, The Telegraph revealed that the US president was weighing up withdrawing some 35,000 active personnel out of Germany. Around 160,000 active-duty personnel are stationed outside of the United States, a vast quantity of whom are in the country.
Mr Trump was said to be considering repositioning some troops in Europe to be closer to the Nato countries which have upped their defence spending to meet targets.
The withdrawal is thought to be part of plans by the administration to redraw Nato engagement in a way that favours member countries with higher defence spending.
European fears about the US commitment to Nato have been growing for some time.
Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, told Nato allies in February that 'stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe'.
During his first term, Mr Trump ordered the withdrawal of almost 12,000 troops from Germany, where the US had several major military facilities including Ramstein Air Base, the headquarters for US European Command.
But the move was halted by Joe Biden amid widespread criticism from Congress.
Earlier this year, The Atlantic reported in March that Mr Hegseth and JD Vance, the vice-president, had complained about European allies in a chat group. Mr Hegseth expressed his 'loathing of European free-loading', according to the Atlantic.
Such comments have fuelled anxiety about the commitment to Nato, along with Trump's threats not to protect members that spend too little on defence, and his reluctance to keep supporting Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion.
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