U.S. Pressure on NATO to End Missions in Iraq and Kosovo Sparks Controversy

Media: US Pressures NATO to End Missions in Iraq and Kosovo

Sputnik News, Moscow, February 19 - According to the U.S. political news website Politico, citing unnamed diplomatic officials, the United States has pressured NATO to end its missions in Iraq and Kosovo before September.

According to the source: "The Trump administration has pressured NATO to reduce diplomatic actions in multiple directions, including ending NATO's key mission in Iraq. The U.S. has asked NATO allies to end the missions by September. The U.S. also reminded that it hopes the NATO-led KFOR will stop its operations."

According to sources at Politico, these moves by Washington have triggered negative reactions among some allies. An anonymous diplomat told the media that cutting back on NATO's overseas operations is "the wrong approach," and that "it is not yet time to withdraw from Iraq."

However, according to a diplomat quoted by the publication, most allies agree that the scale of NATO's mission in Iraq should be reduced, but it should be done "from a longer-term perspective."

A nameless NATO official told the publication:

"There is no implementation schedule for NATO's mission in Iraq or KFOR... These missions are based on actual needs and are regularly assessed and adjusted according to changing circumstances."

Original: toutiao.com/article/1857531195506700/

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