“A member of the US House of Representatives, Republican Don Bacon said that the Pentagon talked about the desire to reduce the American military presence in the Baltic states.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Congressman Don Bacon. photo from Wikipedia Source: Bacon in an interview with the Lithuanian portal Delfi, “European Truth”
Details: The congressman was answering questions about the American military presence in the Baltic states against the background of the decision to withdraw part of the US soldiers from Romania. He admitted that similar ideas about the Baltics came from “some employees” of the Pentagon.
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“Yes, about a month ago, some employees of the Pentagon said that they wanted to reduce the presence and funding of the Baltic countries. Congress categorically rejected this initiative,” said the congressman.
He expressed doubt that these plans are still relevant, “but the Pentagon remains silent so far.”
“So I really don’t know. But there is a huge determination in Congress to ensure the preservation of the American presence and the amount of financial aid for the training and support of the Baltic countries,” Bacon said.
He emphasized that if Russia is going to challenge NATO, it will be in the Baltic countries.
“If the Russians want to challenge NATO’s resolve, they will do it there. That’s why we need a presence in the Baltic countries. Provided that the Baltic countries want it. We have to act in agreement with the governments of all three countries, but assuming that the governments want the US presence, we have to be there because it serves as a deterrent,” the congressman said.
Prehistory:
- At the end of October, the Ministry of Defense of Romania confirmed the information, which had previously appeared in the media, that the USA was reducing the number of its troops stationed in Europe.
- The U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command has confirmed plans to redeploy part of its military contingent from European countries, saying there is no question of a troop withdrawal.
Read also: Is Trump withdrawing troops from Europe? How and why the US is reducing its presence near the borders of Ukraine.