Nato’s eastern European members are offering to cut costs for US troops stationed on their soil to discourage the Trump administration from reducing its military footprint there, according to people familiar with the matter.The bid is being prepared for an alliance meeting with US undersecretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby in Brussels on Aug 27 and reflects the urgency of their maintaining a credible deterrent against Russia amid the Pentagon’s six-month review of its military presence in Europe.The review includes a US questionnaire due on Aug 28, seen by Bloomberg, that surprised European capitals in the middle of the summer with questions gauging support for Trump’s plans, including whether countries have been “publicly supportive” of his foreign policy, about restrictions on US military base use and whether nations are spending money with US defence contractors.The number of US troops in Europe fluctuates between 80,000 and 100,000. Eastern Europe hosts fewer troops. The countries on Nato’s eastern flank will reflect their strong wish to host as many US troops as possible, explaining why they’d offer to foot more of the bill, the people said.This is a Bloomberg story
