NATO's eastern European members are offering to cut costs for US troops stationed on their soil to discourage the Trump administration from reducing its military footprint there, according to people familiar with the matter, Report informs via Bloomberg.
The bid is being prepared for an alliance meeting with US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby in Brussels on August 27 and reflects the urgency of their maintaining a credible deterrent against Russia amid the Pentagon's six-month review of its military presence in Europe.
The review includes a US questionnaire due on August 28, seen by Bloomberg, that surprised European capitals in the middle of the summer with questions gauging support for Donald Trump's plans, including whether countries have been "publicly supportive" of his foreign policy, about restrictions on US military base use and whether nations are spending money with US defense contractors.
The number of US troops in Europe fluctuates between 80,000 and 100,000 depending on rotations and exercises, with over a third based in Germany. Eastern Europe hosts fewer troops - ranging from a few hundred in the Baltics to several thousand in Poland. The countries on NATO's eastern flank will reflect their strong wish to host as many US troops as possible, explaining why they'd offer to foot more of the bill, the people said.