UPDATE - US denies it has military base in Alexandroupolis, Greece amid report of its closure

ADDS BACKGROUND, MINOR EDIT IN 5TH GRAF

By Rabia Iclal Turan and Islam Dogru

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Monday dismissed a Greek media report claiming that President Donald Trump ordered the closure of an American military base in Alexandroupolis (Dedeagac), Greece.

"There is no US base in Alexandroupolis. It is a Greek facility that the US has access to under the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement," a US defense official told Anadolu. "It simply serves as a surface transportation hub when US equipment flows into and out of Europe."

"US transport personnel can surge to the location to manage episodic arrivals and departures of equipment, but this is not a US ‘base’ for the US to close," the official added.

Trump also denied the report.

Asked about the Greek daily Dimokratia's claim of the closure during a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House, Trump initially was unaware of the report. After being briefed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, he responded: "It's not a correct story."

The Greek daily suggested that the base may no longer be deemed necessary if the war in Ukraine comes to an end, potentially leading to its closure.

Alexandroupolis is a Greek port situated on the Aegean Sea, near the Turkish border, at the northeastern point of Greece.