US to draw down troops on Nato’s eastern flank
The US has informed its Nato allies that it will scale back its troop presence along Europe’s eastern border with Ukraine as it focuses on security priorities elsewhere in the world, Romania’s Defence Ministry said.
The US Army later confirmed the move, but denied it was a sign of lessened commitment to Nato.
Depending on operations and exercises, around 80,000-100,000 US troops are usually present on European soil.
Nato allies have expressed concern that the Trump administration might drastically cut their numbers and leave a security vacuum as European countries confront an increasingly aggressive Russia.
The administration has been reviewing its military “posture” in Europe and elsewhere, but US officials have said that the findings of the review were not expected to be known before early next year.
Nato has recently been bulking up its defensive posture on its eastern flank bordering Belarus, Russia and Ukraine after a series of airspace violations by drones, balloons and Russian aircraft.
The Romanian Defence Ministry said the US decision will “stop the rotation in Europe of a brigade that had elements in several Nato countries”, including at a base in Romania.
It said in a statement that about 1,000 US troops will remain stationed in Romania.
As of April, more than 1,700 US military personnel were estimated to be deployed there.
A brigade usually numbers anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 troops.
Romania’s defence minister Ionut Mosteanu said the decision reflects Washington’s shift “toward the Indo-Pacific” region, and that allied troop numbers would remain above the number before Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Across NATO, Allies like Romania are demonstrating increased capability and responsibility. During 20 plus years as a NATO Ally, Romania has consistently partnered with the United States to meet our common defense objectives. That partnership remains stronger than ever. The… pic.twitter.com/2MHl3oDtUe
— U.S. Ambassador to NATO (@USAmbNATO) October 29, 2025
“Our strategic partnership is solid, predictable, and reliable,” he said at a news conference.
In a post on X, US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker said the US “remains committed to Romania”.
“Our strong presence in and enduring commitment to Europe remains steadfast, including support for Eastern Sentry,” a Nato operation along the eastern flank, he wrote.
Mr Whitaker did not mention the troop drawdown.
After the war started in 2022, Nato bolstered its presence on Europe’s eastern flank by sending additional multinational battle groups to Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia.
Many more European troops are now stationed there.
The ministry statement said the US “decision also took into account the fact that Nato has strengthened its presence and activity on the eastern flank, which allows the United States to adjust its military posture in the region”.
In a statement later on Wednesday, US Army Europe and Africa said that the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division will return to its base in Kentucky as previously planned but that no other US troops would rotate into Europe to replace it.
“This is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to Nato and Article 5,” it said, in a reference to the collective security guarantee in the organisation’s treaty that an attack on one ally should be considered an attack on all 32.
“Rather this is a positive sign of increased European capability and responsibility. Our Nato allies are meeting President Trump’s call to take primary responsibility for the conventional defence of Europe,” it said.
It insisted that the move “will not change the security environment in Europe”.
Government officials in Poland and Lithuania, which lie further north along Europe’s eastern flank, said they had not been informed of any US troop drawdown in their countries.
Asked about the move, a Nato official said that “adjustments to US force posture are not unusual”.
The official said that even with this new adjustment, about which Nato was informed in advance, the American “force posture in Europe remains larger than it has been for many years, with many more US forces on the continent than before 2022″.
The official played down any security concerns, saying that “Nato and US authorities are in close contact about our overall posture – to ensure Nato retains our robust capacity to deter and defend”.
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