Politico: America is pressuring NATO to end its mission in Iraq.

The Trump administration is pressuring NATO to radically recalibrate its relationships and end its mission in Iraq, according to a report published Thursday by the American newspaper Politico. Four diplomats stated that Washington’s efforts, which also include reducing peacekeeping operations in Kosovo, are now being referred to internally as “returning to the status quo.”

Thereport, translated by Al-Maalomah News Agency, quoted four NATO diplomats as saying that “the United States, under Donald Trump, is pressuring the alliance to reduce many of its external activities, including ending a major NATO mission in Iraq. The US has also exerted pressure in recent months to reduce NATO peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and to prevent Ukraine and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region from formally participating in the alliance’s annual summit in Ankara next July.”
The report added, “These efforts reflect the White House’s attempt to treat NATO as a purely Euro-Atlantic defense alliance, reversing decades of expansion in crisis management, global partnerships, and values-based initiatives that have long irked the US president and his base.”

It continued, “Under Washington’s pressure, NATO will scale back so-called ‘off-the-board activities’ that extend beyond its core defense and deterrence missions. This trend is now known internally as ‘back to square one,’ according to four diplomats, all of whom were granted anonymity to speak freely on this sensitive internal matter.”
The US request faces opposition within the alliance itself. One diplomat said, “This is not the time to withdraw from Iraq; the government wants us there.” A second diplomat said that a “majority” of allies agree on the need to reduce the Iraq mission, but over a longer period, while maintaining a smaller-scale operation.

Almaalomah.me