Maria Ragutkina20:49, 23.04.25

The head of the Pentagon called on European countries to follow Poland’s example.

America can no longer be the guarantor of security for Europe . This statement was made by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaking at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

“The time when the US was the sole guarantor of European security is over. This is long overdue,” Hegseth said.

According to the head of the Pentagon, Europe must step up and increase its military power to strengthen NATO.

He emphasized that modern threats require a different approach to collective security, and therefore Hegseth called on European NATO allies to increase defense spending.

The US Defense Secretary added that Washington will continue to push them to increase military spending to 5% of GDP, because “2% is not enough.” Hegseth cited Poland as an example, which had previously pledged to spend 5% of its GDP on defense.

He also noted that the United States has transferred management of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to Germany and the United Kingdom. According to Hegseth, this “symbolizes a shift to broader engagement of partners on defense and security issues.”

The possibility of withdrawing American troops from Europe

As UNIAN reported, European leaders fear that the US will withdraw its troops without warning. According to Bloomberg, they have called on Washington to coordinate any plans to reduce the American military contingent on the continent.

These concerns were expressed amid reports that the US is planning to withdraw up to 10,000 of its troops from Eastern Europe.

NBC News reported that the Trump administration wants European allies to take more responsibility for their own defense, allowing Washington to focus its military resources on China and other priorities.

(C)UNIAN 2025