Romania says the US is drawing down troops along NATO’s eastern flank
BRUSSELS — The United States has informed its NATO allies that it will reduce its troop presence along Europe’s eastern border with Ukraine, in order to focus on security priorities elsewhere in the world, the Romanian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
Depending on the operations and exercises, around 80,000 to 100,000 American troops are generally present on European soil. NATO allies have expressed concern that the Trump administration could significantly reduce their troops and leave a security vacuum as European countries face an increasingly aggressive Russia.
The administration has been reviewing its military “posture” in Europe and elsewhere, but U.S. officials have said the findings of that review are not expected to be known until early next year.
NATO recently strengthened its defensive posture on its eastern flank bordering Belarus, Russia and Ukraine after a series of airspace violations by Russian drones, balloons and planes.
The Romanian Defense Ministry said the U.S. decision “will stop the rotation in Europe of a brigade that had elements in several NATO countries,” including at a base in Romania.
In a statement, around 1,000 American troops will remain stationed in Romania. As of April, it was estimated that more than 1,700 U.S. military personnel were deployed there. A brigade generally has between 1,500 and 3,000 men.
Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu said the move reflected Washington’s shift “toward the Indo-Pacific region” and that allied troop numbers would remain higher than before Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
“Our strategic partnership is strong, predictable and reliable,” he said at a press conference.
After the start of the war in 2022, NATO strengthened its presence on Europe’s eastern flank by sending additional multinational battle groups to Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia. Many additional European troops are now stationed there.
The ministry’s statement said the US decision “also takes into account that NATO has strengthened its presence and activities on the eastern flank, which allows the United States to adjust its military posture in the region.”
Asked about the move, a NATO official said “adjustments to U.S. force posture are not unusual.” Under the terms of his employment contract, the official is allowed to speak to journalists, but only on the condition that he not be named.
The official said that even with this new adjustment, which NATO had been informed of in advance, “US force posture in Europe remains stronger than it has been in many years, with many more US forces on the continent than before 2022.”
The official downplayed any security concerns, saying “NATO and U.S. authorities are in close contact about our overall posture – to ensure NATO maintains our robust deterrence and defense capability.”
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McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England.
