DEFENDER2020. The port of Antwerp kicked off preparations for the largest exercise in Europe by US forces in 25 years, which aims to test the delivery and mobility of military reinforcements to Europe in the context of NATO. It will bring together about 37,000 soldiers from the US and 18 Allied countries in April and May. Final destination for the troops and equipment will mainly be Germany, Poland and the Baltic states, where a large part of the exercise will take place. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted the massive transfer of US and allied troops to Eastern Europe was not aimed at Russia. DEALS AND REVIVALS. Amid beefed up security cooperation, Poland has inked a contract for US-made F-35 fighter jets, which Polish officials called a significant step toward strengthening the security of the country and the region. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron sought a “turning point” in strained ties with Poland during his virgin visit of the Polish capital and touted a revival of the Weimar Triangle and stronger defence ties. PLEDGE DROP. “Increasing defence expenses to 2% [of the country’s] GDP is not a smart move in our current situation,” Czech Interior Minister Jan Hamáček announced, adding the money would be better spent in other areas. He also noted that spending 1.4% GDP on military seemed more realistic. PM Andrej Babiš is not keen on fulfilling the 2% NATO pledge either, despite having sung a different tune when he met with US President Donald Trump at the White House last year, reports EURACTIV Czech Republic’s Ondřej Plevák. LANDMINES. The EU strongly condemned Trump’s decision to lift US restrictions on the usage of landmines. “Their use anywhere, at any time and by any actor remains totally unacceptable to the European Union”, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement. The EU rebuke followed Trump’s green light on Friday to a new generation of self-destructing landmines on the argument that they were safer. REPATRIATION. Since the fall of the caliphate, thousands of European foreign fighters and their families have been stranded in Syria and Iraq. So far, European capitals have been reluctant to repatriate their nationals and children born in the territories formerly controlled by the Islamic State, despite experts warning that inaction may be more dangerous in the long run, EURACTIV’s Vlagyiszlav Makszimov reports.