By John Irish
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United States’ Baltic allies continue to lobby and are hopeful that Washington will keep thousands of its troops in Europe, notably in countries closest to Russia, but they have yet to receive the assurances they seek, ministers said.
Since the return of U.S. President Donald Trump, European allies have been concerned about potential cuts to some 80,000 U.S. troops in Europe just when they see Russia as a greater threat than at any time since the end of the Cold War.
“There’s no final decision, but there is a very, very clear sentiment that it doesn’t happen overnight,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkn told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Un General Assembly.
“I do hope that the U.S. troops will remain, at least in our region, because the tension is increasing and U.S. participation is one of the strongest deterrents.”
Underscoring fears in the Baltics, the United States is phasing out some security assistance for European countries near the border with Russia.
Speaking in a separate interview, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said Vilnius had also been laying down all the arguments to the Trump administration to maintain their presence in Europe.
“We see that the front line is the best place for them to be. We are providing the best host nation support, we are providing the training areas, and it delivers the best result,” he said.
“It delivers deterrence to Russians. So, concerning the posture review, that’s the place where United States troops have to be.”
He said the signals he had received in last few months were positive and he had “no doubt” about Washington’s commitment.
The U.S. military had more than 100,000 troops in Europe following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but that number has already been reduced to 80,000 and it periodically reviews its troop levels on the continent.
(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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