MUNICH — The U.S. ambassador to NATO declared Saturday that “Americans are not leaving” Europe or the alliance, assuaging a concern that has caused panic across the continent.
Matthew Whitaker’s comments at the Munich Security’s Conference’s POLITICO Pub came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure European allies nervous that Washington would walk away from them — especially by removing tens of thousands of U.S troops.
American officials have taken a more conciliatory tone this year during the annual security conference as the transatlantic alliance faces the biggest strain in its seven-decade relationship. Their softer comments are a far cry from the angry rhetoric of Vice President JD Vance last year, who railed against the continent’s values.
But Whitaker did emphasize the need for Europeans to take on more of the burden of their own defense.
“We need Europe, which are very rich countries, very successful countries, to sort of take over the conventional defense,” he said. “That frees up the United States to take care of these other challenges and threats with our allies in those regions.”
The Trump administration appeared skeptical about the strength and necessity of the NATO alliance. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the members’ spending, support for Ukraine and commitment to their own defense.
But that criticism has softened in recent weeks, with U.S. officials telling their European counterparts that the 80,000 U.S. troops on the continent would largely remain in place.
Europe is not fully convinced. The European Union’s Defense Commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, is pushing for the bloc’s own military force of 100,000 troops to guard against any withdrawal.