PoliticoMike Pompeo set to tour Europe to discuss more US troop moves, officials say

The planned tour by the secretary of state comes after the Pentagon laid out a plan to shift nearly 12,000 troops out of Germany

There are fears in Europe that Washington is using the troop redeployment to pit EU member countries against each other

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 11:17pm, 5 Aug 2020Updated: 5:48am, 6 Aug 2020

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Jacopo Barigazzi, Nahal Toosi and Zosia Wanat on politico.com on August 8, 2020.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to tour Central and Eastern European capitals next week to discuss the redeployment of American troops in Europe, officials say.

The precise itinerary is still fluid, but the current plan is for him to begin in Prague on Tuesday or Wednesday where he is due to meet Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and others, a diplomat from that country said. Talks there will also include 5G and China.

A senior EU official said Pompeo will head to Slovenia on Thursday. And another official with knowledge of the visit to Poland said the secretary of state would be in Warsaw on Saturday to coincide with the commemoration of the Battle of Warsaw. Austria is another potential stopover.

US President Donald Trump has accused Germany of being ‘delinquent’ on defence spending. Photo: AFP

The visit comes after the Pentagon last week laid out a plan to shift nearly 12,000 troops out of Germany. US President Donald Trump has accused Berlin of being “delinquent” on defence spending and said the country should contribute more rather than relying heavily on Nato.