Wed, 17 Jun 2026 Kyiv 19:03Berlin 18:03London 17:03 UKR / DE / EN

US withdraws weapons from Europe – NATO under pressure

The United States is withdrawing military equipment from Europe and demanding that NATO partners fill the gaps with their own hardware, Ukrainska Pravda reports, citing British Chief of the Defence Staff Richard Knighton.

US withdraws weapons from Europe – NATO under pressure
Photo: uimg.pravda.com.ua

The United States is drastically reducing its military presence in Europe and demanding that NATO partners fill the resulting gaps with their own equipment. According to Ukrainska Pravda, citing British Chief of the Defence Staff Richard Knighton, the administration of US Donald Trump has asked the UK and other allies to identify forces not yet assigned to NATO and make them available to the alliance.

The planned cuts are massive: the US intends to reduce its strategic bombers in Europe by 30 percent, withdraw all reconnaissance and strike drones, halve the number of warships, and cut fighter jet presence by a third. Knighton said the emerging US course is a factor that must be taken into account.

NATO defense ministers plan to discuss the US demands on June 18 in Brussels. The issue will also be on the agenda at the NATO summit in Ankara in July. In May 2026, the Trump administration informed allies about the ‘NATO 3.0’ concept, which envisions a significant reduction of US troops in Europe and a shift of resources to the Indo-Pacific.

Source: www.pravda.com.ua