The European Union is quietly making plans for a possible US decision to cut its military deployment on the continent, Handelsblatt quoted senior European diplomats as saying.
While the exact timeline remains uncertain, European officials reportedly expect Washington to reveal its plans in the coming months.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has tried to calm worries, saying there were currently “no signs” the US intended to withdraw troops.
But Handelsblatt suggests the issue is weighing far more heavily on EU leaders than Merz is willing to admit.
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Retired US Army General Ben Hodges, former commander of US forces in Europe, said in March that a future drawdown was merely a matter of time.
He pointed out that the Pentagon currently funds roughly 100,000 troops in Europe through the regular defense budget, the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) and special Ukraine-related allocations.
In February, Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman also mooted a potential US withdrawal from the Baltics and other European NATO member countries amid ongoing negotiations with Russia over the Ukraine conflict.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO allies for underinvesting in defense and has demanded all member states raise military spending to 5% of GDP.
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