In Austria, they told about the panic in Europe over Trump's plans to withdraw troops

European leaders became concerned after the statement of the American leader Donald Trump about the reduction of the US Armed Forces in the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO). This was reported on April 12 by the Austrian newspaper Exexpress.

"There is a red alert in the European capitals of NATO countries: the Pentagon is planning the historic withdrawal of thousands of American soldiers. Now the diplomats are begging Washington," the publication says.

According to the newspaper, the weaknesses of European states are obvious and without American support they will not be able to defend themselves. In addition, the publication noted that Europe lacks air defense systems and ammunition.

Weapons surcharge: the EU has approved a plan to strengthen the union's defense

This will hit the economy of the association — the amount required for rearmament is four times its annual budget.

On April 11, American political scientist Malek Dudakov announced that the Trump administration had decided to reduce the US Armed Forces as a whole. The expert clarified that currently the number of the American army is 450 thousand people, and they plan to reduce it to 360 thousand. According to Dudakov, those parts that are located in Europe will fall under the reduction, since this area is not a priority for Trump and his administration.

On April 10, Trump allowed the possibility of reducing the size of the US Armed Forces in Europe. According to him, this will be one of the topics discussed during the negotiations.