The United States under President Donald Trump is pressing Nato to significantly reduce its foreign engagements, including scaling down the alliance’s long-running peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, Politico reported on February 19, citing statements from four diplomats.

Internally, the initiative has become known as a “return to factory settings,” reflecting Washington’s push to refocus Nato strictly on its core Euro-Atlantic defence role.

According to the diplomats, the US is urging allies to end or sharply reduce several Nato activities beyond collective defence, including a key mission in Iraq.

Washington has also sought to limit the involvement of Ukraine and Indo-Pacific partners in Nato’s annual summit scheduled for July in Ankara, signalling a broader rollback of the alliance’s global partnerships and crisis-management role.

The Nato-led mission in Kosovo, known as KFOR, was established in 1999 following the end of the conflict between Serbian forces and Kosovo Albanians.

Mandated by a UN Security Council resolution, KFOR’s task has been to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities. Although its troop levels have been gradually reduced over the years, the mission remains a central pillar of stability in Kosovo amid recurring tensions between Pristina and Belgrade.

The US push reflects a long-standing view within Trump’s administration that Nato has overextended itself through values-driven initiatives and global partnerships. This approach has found strong support among Trump’s MAGA base, which favours limiting US commitments abroad and refocusing on national and regional security priorities.