The administration of US President Donald Trump is exploring the possibility of abandoning the traditional role of the United States as NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe, the American television channel NBC News reported, citing sources in the White House. The potential decision marks a possible turn in the alliance's policy, where key operational tasks in the European region have been invariably led by American generals for the past 75 years.

According to the TV channel, the initiative is linked to Trump’s intention to rethink the US commitment to NATO, focusing on reducing its military presence and financial costs. Sources note that such a move could hand over command to European allies, which would be an unprecedented change in the structure of the alliance since its creation in 1949. There has been no official confirmation of the plans from the administration yet, but discussions on this topic have already sparked lively debates in diplomatic circles.

Open-source information adds context to the potential changes. In March 2025, Politico reported that Trump, having returned to power, was increasing pressure on European partners to increase their contribution to NATO’s budget. At the alliance’s summit in February, he openly criticized EU countries for insufficient defense funding, emphasizing that the United States does not intend to bear the brunt forever. Experts suggest that giving up the role of commander-in-chief could be part of this strategy, shifting responsibility to countries such as Germany or France.

The reaction of the allies has been restrained so far. In Brussels, they fear that such a move would weaken NATO unity in the context of growing tensions with Russia, especially against the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine. As Reuters notes, in recent years Moscow has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the presence of American forces in Eastern Europe, which makes the issue of leadership in the alliance especially sensitive. At the same time, some European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, have long called for greater independence of the EU in defense policy, which could play into the hands of Trump's initiative.