NATO defence ministers met Wednesday for their first talks since US President Joe Biden took office, looking to reboot ties after four years of tensions under Donald Trump. Key on the agenda at the two-day virtual conference is the future of NATO’s 9,600-strong support mission in Afghanistan after Trump sidelined allies and struck a deal with the Taliban to pull out troops.
Biden’s administration is reviewing whether to stick to a looming May 1 deadline to withdraw or risk a bloody backlash from the insurgents by staying. New US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is not set to make any firm announcement when the topic is discussed Thursday — but will seek input from allies to help Biden make his call.
Other NATO members insist they are willing to remain in Afghanistan, if Washington stays too. “We can already say that we are not yet in a position to talk about the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan,” German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said as she arrived…