US withdrawing some troops from Europe after Trump's warning to Nato allies [View all]

Source: The Independent

Wednesday 29 October 2025 13:15 EDT


The United States is cutting the number of troops on Europe's eastern flank, Romania's defence ministry said Wednesday. The ministry said the decision wasn’t a surprise given changes in Washington's priorities, and that roughly 1,000 U.S. troops would continue to be stationed in Romania. Between 1,000 and 1,200 U.S. troops rotated out a month ago and will not be replaced, it said in a statement.

The Trump administration previously told European allies that they will need to take more responsibility for their own security as the United States focuses more on its own borders and on the Indo-Pacific region. "The American decision is to stop the rotation in Europe of a brigade that had elements in several NATO countries," the defence ministry said.

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS OPPOSE THE MOVE

The U.S. military said the decision not to replace departing American troops in Romania was not "an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO."

But in a rare move, top U.S. Republican lawmakers on the Senate and House Armed Services Committees slammed the removal. "We strongly oppose the decision not to maintain the rotational U.S. brigade in Romania," the joint statement said, adding that the lawmakers were seeking clarification from the Pentagon.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/nato-troops-trump-europe-military-b2854615.html