Only Trump can decide on U.S. troop moves in Europe, US defense secretary says

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Only President Donald Trump will make decisions about the future of U.S. troops in Europe, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, when asked if he would keep troop levels at their current levels.

"The only person that will make a determination about force structure of U.S. troops in Europe will be President Trump, the commander-in-chief," Hegseth told reporters during a trip to Panama.

"And we will continue to have ongoing discussions, including inside the context of Ukraine-Russia negotiations, of what our force posture should be on the continent that best addresses American interests and ensures burden sharing in Europe as well."

Hegseth's remarks came a day after the top U.S. general in Europe said the United States should keep its military presence on the continent as it is now, as the Pentagon reviews its global footprint under Trump.

The U.S. military had more than 100,000 troops in Europe following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli said that the number had been reduced to 80,000.

"It's my advice to maintain that force posture as it is now," Cavoli told lawmakers on Tuesday during a House Armed Services Committee hearing.

Hegseth had been asked if he agreed with that assessment. During his first trip to Europe, Hegseth told European colleagues that they should not assume that the U.S. presence will last forever.

The potential changes in the U.S. military presence in Europe come amid concerns there over the future of NATO, the transatlantic alliance that has been the bedrock of European security for the past 75 years.

European belief in the U.S. as the continent's ultimate protector against any attack from Russia has been severely shaken by Trump's attempted rapprochement with Moscow and heavy pressure on Kyiv as he seeks to end the war.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Alistair Bell)