America’s top Defense Department officials said Wednesday that it was too early to talk about a full American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, as peace talks with the Taliban progress but dire threats remain.

”I do not think about it as we are going to withdraw. I think about it as we are going to initiate inter-Afghan dialogue, ideally leading to peace and stability for the Afghan people,” Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters during a press briefing at the Pentagon.

“I am not using the withdraw word right now. We are going to make sure that Afghanistan is not a sanctuary, and we’re going to try to have an effort to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the US will keep all options on the table. Dunford and Esper also stressed dangers posed by Russia and China and stressed the importance of the NATO alliance, which Trump has repeatedly criticized before and after taking office.

“Strategic competitors such as China and Russia are deliberately building up and modernizing their military forces to challenge the United States and enable their geopolitical aspirations,” Esper said, vowing that the US would remain vigilant in the region and also cooperate with NATO to counter Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

“At the same time, regional adversaries like Iran and North Korea, continue to promote instability,” he added.

“Next week, I will travel to Europe to meet with NATO allies to discuss the US posture in Europe and our ongoing efforts to deter Russian aggression,” Esper said.

Dunford also emphasized the importance of US alliances, saying: “It is important to highlight that we fully integrated our allies and partners into the initiatives I have described.”

The commander in chief has slammed NATO members for supposedly not paying their fair share for defense against Russia and other malevolent actors.

The press briefing was the department’s first in recent memory, but Esper said they would be scheduled regularly so that he could communicate to Americans — especially service members and their families — about the department’s goals and how they are being accomplished.