NATO to gradually reduce strength of peace support mission in Kosovo over next year

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative file photo — Polish soldiers assigned to the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR), conduct crowd riot control training at Camp Novo Selo, Sept. 5, 2025. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Laura Bradley via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS))

BRUSSELS  -  NATO will gradually adjust the strength of its peace support mission in Kosovo, which has been in place since 1999, over the next year due to the steady security situation in the country, it said on Friday.

"NATO and KFOR are fully committed to safety and security in Kosovo," said U.S. Air Force General Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) in a statement. 

"It is this commitment that has led to increased stability as the security organisations in Kosovo have become more capable. The current conditions provide an opportunity to optimise KFOR's size and posture further," he added.

Calibrated reductions are expected to follow national rotational deployment and redeployment cycles between now and next year, NATO said. 

The changes will occur gradually and in line with conditions on the ground, and could be reversed if needed, NATO said.

 (Reporting by Lili Bayer and Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Makini Brice // REUTERS)