US senator calls for NATO withdrawal as Trump weighs troop reduction

Republican Senator Mike Lee from Utah has called for the United States to withdraw from NATO, Azernews reports.

In a post on X, Lee responded to remarks by Richard Grenell, the US President’s Special Representative for Special Operations, who criticized Slovenia for not contributing enough to NATO. "It's time to withdraw from NATO," the senator wrote.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post, citing sources, reported that former President Donald Trump may order the withdrawal of 20,000 US troops from Europe if re-elected, a move described as a "nightmare for European security." The report highlighted growing concerns among European leaders about Washington’s commitment to the alliance, emphasizing the 80-year-old security framework that has defined US-Europe relations since World War II.

European officials have reportedly sought guarantees that any troop reductions would not result from direct negotiations between Washington and Moscow. Trump himself has previously stated that the US could leave NATO if other member states fail to meet their financial commitments.

In response to these developments, Swiss parliamentarian Jacqueline de Quattro warned on December 3 that a potential US withdrawal would weaken NATO. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that the biggest threat to NATO comes from the presence of countries with weak militaries within the alliance.