NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said today that the Alliance's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) will be reduced and will have between 3.000 and 3.500 soldiers in the future, confirming the Alliance's earlier announcement to this effect.
He assessed the decision to reduce troops as positive, since, as he said, the situation in Kosovo is continuously improving, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported.
"At the moment, KFOR has around 4.700 troops. What we will do is return to pre-2023 levels. Of course, depending on the circumstances, you will see KFOR with between 3.000 and 3.500 troops. I think that reflects the improved security situation, while the KFOR mission, of course, remains absolutely focused on its core mission," the NATO Secretary General said at a press conference at the Alliance's headquarters.
NATO already announced on June 12th that it would gradually adjust the forces supporting KFOR over the next year.
In 2023, due to tensions in northern Kosovo, where the majority of the population is Serb, NATO deployed almost a thousand additional soldiers to Kosovo, the alliance announced on June 12, and this is now the approximate number of KFOR troop reductions.
"NATO and KFOR remain committed to security in Kosovo," said the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US Air Force General Alexus Grinkevich, in a NATO statement about moving towards "optimizing" the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.
"It is precisely this commitment that has led to increased stability, while security organizations in Kosovo have become more capable. Current conditions provide an opportunity to optimize the size and deployment of KFOR," Grinkevich added.
Following NATO's announcement, the US confirmed that it expects changes in its contribution to KFOR.
Rutte, speaking at a press conference today at the Alliance's headquarters, outlined priorities ahead of tomorrow's meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, highlighting the progress made in building a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO, and the huge increase in defense investments that European allies and Canada have made in 2025, amounting to over $90 billion, according to the Alliance's website.
The Secretary General explained that while the US is adapting its contribution to the NATO Force Model, it has made clear its commitment to the Alliance.
"Now the US has adjusted its pledged contributions, and other allies have increased their contributions. And that is fair. It makes us stronger, and that is what NATO 3.0 is about, a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO," said Rutte.
A US European Command (EUCOM) official told Radio Free Europe that the decision to reduce the number of NATO troops in KFOR was based on an annual review conducted by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SHAPE), which recommended adjusting the number of troops on the ground.
"Based on the latest annual review by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO will optimize the deployment of the Kosovo Force (KFOR). As a result, US European Command will make a gradual adjustment of the US contribution to KFOR, based on a risk assessment and in line with this review led by SHAPE," the official told RFE/RL.
He added that the US continues to consider the mission a key component of regional stability in the Western Balkans, without providing details on the nature or scope of possible changes.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
