Politico: US seeks reduction of NATO missions, including presence in Kosovo

The United States is pressuring NATO to reduce its external activities, including ending the mission in Iraq and reducing the Alliance’s presence in Kosovo, Politico writes, citing unnamed diplomatic sources.

According to the newspaper, since President Donald Trump’s return to office, Washington has been insisting on redefining NATO’s priorities and limiting operations outside the Euro-Atlantic area.

“Washington should also reduce its presence in Kosovo”, Politico states.

The US, it adds, believes that Ukraine, as well as partners from the Pacific alliance – Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea – should not be invited to the annual NATO summit in Ankara in July.

The newspaper reports that the United States has asked its allies to end NATO’s mission in Iraq by September 2026. This operation was launched in 2018, during Trump’s first term, and has been extended several times at the request of the authorities in Baghdad. The mission’s focus is strengthening security and preventing the return of the Islamic State.

It is also stated that the US plans to withdraw around 2,500 troops from Iraq, in accordance with the Washington and Baghdad agreement, starting in 2024.

An official of the US administration told Politico that the troop withdrawal is part of “Trump’s commitment to ending endless wars”. However, according to the newspaper’s sources, the US request has met resistance within NATO. One interlocutor assessed that most allies believe the mission in Iraq should be gradually reduced over a longer period of time.

The final decision on ending the operation must be approved by all 32 Alliance members, and an official decision has not yet been made.

Politico describes this process as a “major reset” of NATO, assessing that the US is seeking to return the Alliance to what it calls “factory settings” – focusing it exclusively on Euro-Atlantic defense, without expanding activities and partnerships beyond that framework.