The United States, under the leadership of Donald Trump, is reportedly pressuring NATO to significantly scale back activities outside its traditional territory, according to a recent Politico article.

According to four NATO diplomats, the alliance is considering the possibility of ending a key mission in Iraq. NATO currently runs an advisory mission there aimed at strengthening security institutions and preventing the resurgence of the Islamic State.

The article notes that European allies are concerned about signals from Washington regarding a potential reduction of NATO’s presence in Kosovo. The KFOR peacekeeping mission, authorized by the United Nations and deployed in 1999 following the wars in the former Yugoslavia, currently consists of around 4,500 troops.

Engjëllushe Morina, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, stated that the mission remains essential for regional security. “If NATO withdraws, this could encourage Serbian separatists in northern Kosovo and have a chain reaction effect across the region, including Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” she said.

“We are quite concerned” about efforts to reduce the mission, a fifth senior NATO diplomat said, noting that “things in the Western Balkans can escalate quickly.”

Contacted by Politico, a NATO official speaking on behalf of the organization said that “there is no timeline associated with NATO’s mission in Iraq… or with KFOR,” adding: “These missions are conditions-based, subject to periodic review, and adjusted in line with evolving circumstances.” For now, no decision has been made to end either operation.