u.s. troops

The number of U.S. troops in Europe has shrunk dramatically since the end of the Cold War — but tensions with Russia since 2014 have prompted U.S. leaders to beef up numbers and move troops eastward.

"What we've achieved so far is significant. But these are small, two or three small steps in a long journey," Zalmay Khalilzad said in a hoarse voice, the result of 42 hours of talks with the Taliban.