Estonian defmin: No discussions about US troop withdrawal from Baltics

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a NATO Defence Ministers meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 13, 2025. Photo: Yves Herman / Reuters / Scanpix

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur from the Reform Party refutes a claim published on Monday in the Financial Times, which, citing anonymous European sources, suggested that the United States plans to withdraw its troops from the Baltic states.

«There is no point in getting caught up in rumors,» Pevkur said.

According to Pevkur, there has been no indication or message from any US source -- neither from the political side nor the military -- that they plan to leave the Baltic states. He also referred to his recent conversation with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in which no such issue was raised. On the contrary, Pevkur noted that during Hegseth's visit to Poland, he commended the efforts of Poland and the Baltic states.

About a battalion-sized unit of US soldiers -- roughly 600 troops -- is stationed in Estonia. Structurally, they are part of the US corps based in Poland. According to Pevkur, moving troops out of the Baltic states also lacks military logic. From an optimistic perspective, withdrawing troops from here is not a priority for the United States; there is no immediate military or financial need for such a move.

On the other hand, the United States has repeatedly -- and especially last week -- spoken quite directly about how Europe's defense should primarily become Europe's own responsibility in the future. Whether this is because the United States wants to shift its forces toward containing China or for other reasons, the conclusion remains the same -- Europeans need to handle it themselves.