Western security services and politicians fear that a potential deal between the US and Russia on Ukraine could lead to an end to the presence of US troops in large parts of Europe, Germany's top-selling BILD newspaper reported Wednesday.
"According to our information, it's about (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's 2021 demands, i.e. a withdrawal of US troops from all NATO states that joined the alliance after 1990," an unnamed Eastern European security official told BILD.
According to the report, Italy is also preparing for a possible withdrawal of US troops from Kosovo. This would leave the European allies alone in the Balkans against Aleksandar Vucic and his powerful Serbian army.
This could be a scenario in what used to be a Balkan civil war zone that German diplomats described to BILD as "quite conceivable."
According to BILD, only the US bases in Ramstein, Germany, and the air bases in Great Britain are currently ruled out for an American troop pullout.
American President Donald Trump has ruled out a complete withdrawal of US troops from Europe.
