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Washington has told Romania, which neighbours war-torn Ukraine, and allies it volition trim the fig of U.S. troops deployed connected NATO's eastbound flank, Romania's Defence Ministry said Wednesday (October 29, 2025), a determination immoderate officials downplayed portion analysts warned it could embolden Russia.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised NATO, and insisted that European allies boost subject spending arsenic Ukraine battles Russia's invasion.
Some 85,000 American troops are stationed successful Europe, including 20,000 troops deployed to reenforce NATO's eastbound flank aft Russia invaded Ukraine successful 2022, according to the U.S. Defence Department.
The latest announcement came aft reports this twelvemonth that Washington could retreat 10,000 troops from eastbound Europe arsenic the U.S. absorption shifts much towards the Indo-Pacific region, which the Pentagon called it's "priority theatre".
"The resizing of U.S. forces is simply a effect of the caller priorities of the statesmanlike administration, announced backmost successful February," Romania's defence ministry said successful a statement.
The determination "also took into relationship the information that NATO has strengthened its beingness and enactment connected the eastbound flank," it added.
'Wrong signal'
A NATO authoritative told AFP that the assemblage had been informed by the Trump medication successful advance, and played down its significance.
"Even with this adjustment, the U.S. unit posture successful Europe remains larger than it has been for galore years, with galore much U.S. forces connected the continent than earlier 2022," the authoritative said.
Washington's committedness to the confederation remained "clear", the authoritative added.
But experts specified arsenic George Scutaru, co-founder of the New Strategy Center, a Romanian deliberation tank, warned the determination was the "wrong signal" to nonstop to Russia regarding the Black Sea region.
"Russia volition see that Black Sea is not truthful important for American interests successful Europe," helium told AFP.
Moscow "will beryllium encouraged trying to enactment unit much particularly connected Romania utilizing drones, excursions successful airspace," helium added.
Mr. Scutaru said it was important for European allies to nonstop "a awesome of solidarity" and see enhancing their "military beingness to compensate," citing France successful particular, connected the eve of a sojourn by French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin to Romania.
"1000 more, 1000 less, it does not power a batch the subject equilibrium successful the Black Sea. It's astir a governmental signal," helium said.
Poland's Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters that the state had "not received immoderate information... astir a simplification successful the contingent successful Poland".
Romania's Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu nevertheless said the U.S. determination was not a "withdrawal".
It was the "cessation of the rotation of a brigade that had elements successful respective NATO countries, including Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary", helium told journalists.
'Unchanged' capabilities
Mosteanu said that 900-1,000 U.S. soldiers would stay successful Romania.
They volition assistance "to deter immoderate threat" and correspond "a warrant of the United States' committedness to determination security", helium said.
According to the latest authorities figures, astir 1,700 U.S. troops are presently deployed successful Romania.
Mosteanu insisted that strategical capabilities were "unchanged". He added that a missile-defence strategy astatine the Deveselu NATO basal "remains afloat operational".
"The Campia Turzii aerial basal continues to beryllium a cardinal constituent for aerial operations and allied cooperation, the Mihail Kogalniceanu basal continues to beryllium developed, and the American emblem volition stay contiguous astatine each 3 sites," helium added.
"An air-combat radical volition stay astatine the Kogzlniceanu airbase, arsenic was the lawsuit earlier the outbreak of the struggle successful Ukraine," helium said.
The U.S. determination volition nevertheless "weaken the security" of Romania, which is simply a "frontline state", Phillips O'Brien, an expert based astatine Scotland's University of St Andrews, warned.
"Please aftermath up, Europe -- the USA volition not support you against Russia," helium wrote connected X.
