Croatia ready to increase forces in Kosovo, NATO reviews number of KFOR troops

Preparations for the NATO summit to be held on July 7 and 8 in Ankara, Turkey, have entered their final phase, following the meeting of defense ministers of member countries at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.

The summit is expected to be another showdown between US demands and European allies’ commitments, particularly to increase defense spending and strengthen Europe’s military capabilities.

US President Donald Trump is expected to press European allies, who he says have not met their defense spending targets, to discuss how Europe will compensate for a potential reduction in the US military presence on the continent.

While foreign diplomatic sources unofficially report that some European allies have already begun discussions on how they can contribute to filling the void that would be created after a partial American withdrawal from Europe, Croatia’s Defense Minister, Ivan Anusic, in a statement to journalists in Brussels on Thursday hinted that Croatia is offering to increase the number of its soldiers in the NATO mission, KFOR, in Kosovo.

This comes after NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), US General Alexus G. Grynkewich, announced that a reduction in the number of KFOR troops is being considered, vecernji.hr writes.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that the contingent in Kosovo could be reduced from around 4,700 soldiers currently to around 3,000–3,500, a level similar to the period before 2023.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has called on European allies to take more responsibility for the continent’s security.

“Allies are expected to engage and do their part,” Hegseth declared, warning that the US will closely monitor countries that do not contribute enough to NATO’s joint efforts.

He also said that some allies will fail this “new American test”, while others will pass it successfully, emphasizing that Washington expects a greater role from European partners in common defense. /Telegraph