Olexander Kraiev, expert with the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council, shared his opinions with Espreso TV.“Not trying to justify Trump, it’s worth noting that he made this decision well before the meeting with Xi, well before additional sanctions against Russia were imposed. Moving even a single regiment, especially if it’s the U.S. Army abroad, isn’t a quick process. So no matter how much Trump wanted, he can’t just implement a decision like that,” he said.Kraiev added that this is what Trump promised his voters.“He promised this back in 2016, and as we remember, by 2020 he had withdrawn the main part of forces, equipment, and personnel from Afghanistan, with all the consequences that followed. In 2024, he said: ‘See how Biden did it? He’s foolish. I’ll do it better, I’ll start carefully. Americans won’t be in Europe, our boys and girls won’t be at risk of attack,’” the expert emphasized.He noted that the first decision on this, as recorded even on the official Pentagon website, was made on February 1, stating that the gradual reduction of these garrisons would begin during 2025.“This was before the Coalition of the Willing, before the PURL program, and before all other forms of cooperation with the Americans. Even then, Trump said we’re reducing our presence. It’s worth noting that this goes against the decisions of the NATO Madrid and Vilnius summits, which clearly stated that garrisons on the eastern flank should be increased tenfold, from 30,000 to 300,000,” Kraiev said.The expert noted that in the meantime, they were increased only to 50,000.“So there’s still a lot of work to be done. It’s good that Britain is ready to cover this aspect, and that Sweden and Finland have joined in and contributed with their own forces. Trump’s decision should not yet be seen as aiding the aggressor, because it was made long ago and faced opposition even then. Unfortunately, Trump couldn’t be convinced at the time, so this is part of his strategy. No matter what people say about Trump being chaotic, unpredictable, or a transactional president, certain aspects of his work are still strategic,” he believes.Kraiev clarified that reducing U.S. presence in Europe is something Trump has talked about for a long time.“He is willing to provide weapons. There were even discussions about creating a logistics hub near Uzhhorod to support Ukraine, peacekeeping forces, and so on. But this should be done by Europe. You know, even though he values Zelenskyy and us, and he constantly shifts his positions, one point has remained constant: ‘This is not my war. This is Biden’s war, Europe’s war, Ukraine’s war,’” the expert said.He emphasized that Trump, however, never calls it Russia’s war.“I’m ready to sell weapons, I’m ready to make money from it, I’m ready to negotiate for you. But that’s where the menu at “McTrump” ends. So effectively that’s all we can count on. Therefore, unfortunately, we shouldn’t be surprised — but fortunately, this is not direct assistance to the aggressor after difficult negotiations,” Kraiev concluded.The United States is reportedly preparing to withdraw a substantial part of its military presence from several Eastern European countries — Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia — according to media reports.