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U.S. President Trump meeting with the President of Finland. AFP Yonhap News

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on the 9th (local time) that while adjustments could be made to the locations of U.S. troops in Europe, there are no plans for a full withdrawal.

During a meeting at the White House with Finnish President Alexander Stubb that day, President Trump was asked if he planned to withdraw U.S. troops from Europe, to which he replied, "No. But we might move some of them around a little bit."

He noted, "We have a lot of soldiers in Europe," adding, "We can move them around a little bit, but we are basically pretty much set."

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who was present at the meeting, elaborated by noting that since NATO member states have agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of their GDP, they should take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe. He added, "That does not mean the U.S. is abandoning NATO in Europe. However, we can look at where our forces are postured and determine what makes the most sense for the United States and our NATO allies."

Currently, the Department of Defense is reviewing the global posture of U.S. forces and establishing a National Defense Strategy (NDS), leading to speculation that the size and composition of U.S. troops stationed in individual countries may be adjusted according to this strategy.

Meanwhile, regarding Spain, the only NATO member to oppose the 5% defense spending goal, President Trump stated, "There is no excuse for not doing it (the 5%)," and suggested that Spain might need to be removed from NATO.

Yonhap News