20 minutes agoAfter Switzerland, Croatia will add number of military troops to Kosovo
Periskopi(an hour ago)
(an hour ago)Preparations for the NATO summit, to be held on July 7th and 8th in Ankara, Turkey have entered the final phase, following the meeting of member states' defence ministers at Alliance headquarters in Brussels.
The summit is expected to be another face-up between US requirements and European allies' commitments, especially for increased defence spending and strengthening Europe's military capacities.
US President Donald Trump is expected to put pressure on European allies, who, according to him, have failed to meet the goals of increasing defence investments. The focus will also be on how Europe will compensate for the possible reduction of American military presence on the continent.
While foreign diplomatic sources unofficially suggest that some European allies have already started discussions on how they can contribute to filling the gap that would be created following a partial American withdrawal from Europe, Croatia's Defence Minister Ivan Anussic, in a statement to reporters Thursday in Brussels, hinted that Croatia is offering to increase the number of its soldiers in NATO mission, KFOR, in Kosovo.
This comes after the supreme commander of NATO for Europe (SACEUR), US General Alexandrus G. Grinkewich, announced that the lower number of KFOR troops is under consideration, writes Just like that.
Secretary - General NATO, Mark Rutte, said the contingent in Kosovo could be reduced by approximately 4700 soldiers currently in the circle 3000,500, level similar to the period before 2023.
Meanwhile, American War Minister Pete Hegseth has called on European allies to take on more responsibility for the safety of the continent.
“It is expected that the allies will engage and do their part”, Hegseth said, warning that the US will closely observe countries that do not contribute enough to NATO's joint efforts.
He also said some allies would fail in this new US “48x1>, while others would succeed, stressing that Washington expects a greater role from European partners in joint defence.
