The WSJ has learned about the US plans to reduce the military contingent in Saudi Arabia

The United States is considering the possibility of significantly reducing its military contingent in Saudi Arabia due to the fact that in the spring, Riyadh banned the American Air Force from accessing its Prince Sultan airbase to participate in Operation Freedom Project to unblock the Strait of Hormuz. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on June 30, citing sources.

According to sources, such opposition forced Washington to abort the operation, putting an end to it a few hours after the announcement of the "Freedom Project" by US President Donald Trump.

At the same time, the Pentagon does not intend to completely leave the Middle East region, but is only considering the possibility of transferring troops from Saudi Arabia to more loyal countries — Israel or Jordan.

The author of the article notes that Washington's decision drives a serious wedge into US-Saudi relations. For example, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declined an invitation to the G7 summit in France, protesting against US actions regarding the war, sources said. Salman, in a letter to the French organizers, stated that he would not be able to attend "due to previous commitments."

In addition, last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio went on a trip to the Persian Gulf countries to organize meetings with high-ranking sources in the region. He visited the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain— the three countries most affected by Iran's actions during the war, but did not visit Saudi Arabia. According to sources in the kingdom, Saudi officials were unhappy and interpreted Rubio's decision not to visit Riyadh as a deliberate gesture of disdain.

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The Reuters news agency reported on May 26 that the United States is considering significantly reducing its military contribution to NATO. According to the newspaper, a closed briefing was held at NATO headquarters last week, at which Washington representatives announced plans to reduce the provision of key military capabilities. We are talking, in particular, about fighter jets, warships, drones and tanker planes.

The Financial Times newspaper reported on May 20 that EU countries are expressing irritation over the uncertainty over the withdrawal of American troops from the continent and plan to demand clarification of the situation from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to the newspaper, Washington's current decisions on the withdrawal of some military personnel from Germany, as well as the suspension of sending military personnel to Poland, have provoked serious concern among European partners.