European security services and Western officials fear that negotiations between Russia and the US that began on Tuesday in Riyadh could lead to the withdrawal of American troops from Eastern Europe, writes the German newspaper BILD.
„According to our information, it concerns Putin’s demands from 2021, namely a withdrawal of American troops from all NATO countries that joined the alliance after 1990,” said an Eastern European security official to BILD.
Among these countries is Romania. The head of the presidential chancellery, Cristian Diaconescu, said on Antena 3 that during the US-Russia negotiations in Riyadh, the Russian delegation reportedly requested a new division of spheres of influence and the withdrawal of the United States from Eastern Europe, including Romania, following the Yalta model.
An ominous scenario in which numerous experts fear an immediate invasion by the Russian army in the former Soviet republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as a large-scale war with Poland, notes the German daily.
Putin wants NATO troops to leave the former Soviet empire
Bordering states with Russia consider the presence of American troops as their greatest guarantee for independence.
Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote on X: "Lavrov has asked for NATO to return to its 1997 borders and to withdraw from all countries, except for East Germany, in the interest of stability in Europe."
According to BILD, only the American bases in Ramstein, Germany, and the air force bases in the UK are currently not under discussion. The rest of Europe must prepare for profound changes if Trump and Putin reach an agreement.
Financial Times also reports on Putin's intentions. "Putin wants NATO troops to be withdrawn from the entire former Soviet empire. European officials believe it is likely that Trump will agree to withdraw American troops from the Baltic countries and possibly further west. This would leave the EU defenseless against a Russian army," the American newspaper wrote on Wednesday.
Finnish MEP: US gave us three weeks, otherwise they withdraw from Europe
Warnings about a possible US withdrawal from Eastern Europe also come from Nordic countries. Finnish MEP Mika Aaltola warned on X that the United States could withdraw its forces from Europe if an agreement on the fate of Ukraine is not reached as quickly as possible. He says that Washington has given Europeans an ultimatum.
"The United States has given us three weeks to reach an agreement on the terms of Ukraine's surrender. If we fail to do so, the United States will withdraw from Europe," Mika Aaltola wrote on X.
"Trump is now and in the future prioritizing Russia's security concerns. We have three weeks to prepare. The US withdrawal from Europe leaves a security vacuum. It increases the risk that Putin may somehow trigger Article 5," added the Finnish MEP.
T.D.