According to reports from CNN and Bloomberg, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on the 8th that whether the United States will further withdraw more troops from Europe depends on how allies respond to his concerns over the Greenland issue.
Trump, file photo
“I haven’t made a final decision yet. A lot of things will depend on Greenland,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, the presidential aircraft, as he returned to Washington after the NATO summit. “If we can’t reach ‘a very good deal’ on Greenland,” he would consider withdrawing troops.
Bloomberg reported that Trump also said the size of U.S. forces in Europe “largely depends on the Iran issue.”
“Frankly, there aren’t that many battles to fight, but some things will depend on Iran,” Trump said on the 8th. “When they (European allies) had the chance to help, they chose not to. But we kind of let that go. Now, they want to help again.”
Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark. Since returning to the White House, Trump has repeatedly threatened to acquire Greenland, even suggesting the use of force, straining relations between the U.S., Denmark, and other European allies. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated on the 8th, “Our position remains as clear as ever: Greenland is not for sale.” The European Union also publicly pushed back against Trump’s remarks on Greenland, saying it “stands with Denmark and the people of Greenland.”
Since the large-scale U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February, the Trump administration has repeatedly criticized NATO members like Germany for not being “helpful” in supporting the U.S. strikes on Iran. Trump has previously threatened to withdraw troops from Europe and has “seriously considered” pulling the U.S. out of NATO. On May 1, the U.S. formally announced the withdrawal of about 5,000 U.S. military personnel from Germany. Analysts suggest that while the immediate reason for the withdrawal appears to be punishing Germany for its “lack of effort” in the Iran conflict, the deeper cause is a new rift between the U.S. and Europe over defense spending—an old wound. The Trump administration’s “troop withdrawal stick” is pushing NATO countries, led by Germany, to accelerate their efforts to reduce reliance on U.S. defense.