United States has announced its decision to withdraw troops from Romania. They are carrying out an "adjustment," according to U.S. authorities, who claim that the decision "is not a sign of reduced commitment" to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). However, the move comes amid escalating Russian provocations on the eastern flank of the Alliance and the European Union, including in Romania itself. It is a very revealing indication of what will happen in the near future.
"It is the consequence of new priorities, of Washington's shift towards the Indo-Pacific region," stated the Romanian Minister of Defense, Ionut Mosteanu, who provided the information. "The United States will halt the rotation in Europe of a brigade that had elements in several NATO countries," he added in statements reported by the AP news agency.
The U.S. armed forces themselves later confirmed the decision, emphasizing at the same time that the country remains committed to the Alliance. They also insist that the U.S. presence will continue to be greater than before the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, what Mosteanu pointed out aligns exactly with what the Trump Administration had already indicated last year: that Europe is no longer a priority for the United States, and that they will now focus on China and the Indo-Pacific region.
The reduced contribution of U.S. troops, whose presence in Europe had been close to 100,000 soldiers, threatens to give Vladimir Putin more reasons to continue provoking the EU. In recent weeks, incursions have multiplied by Russian planes and drones into NATO territory, prompting the Alliance to deploy fighter jets.
Not only that, disruptions have also occurred at airports such as Copenhagen and Vilnius, which had to close for three nights this week after weather balloons sent from Belarus invaded Lithuanian airspace. These unmanned aerial vehicles are commonly used for cigarette smuggling between the two countries, but their use by Russia's allied country has surged in recent days, apparently for other purposes.
The start of the U.S. withdrawal process comes at a time when Europe is far from prepared to assume its own defense, or at least to fully replace the U.S. military. The EU is still debating programs, has not even decided how to finance Ukraine, and some countries do not seem fully aware of what is happening in Europe. Some, specifically Spain, refuse to increase defense spending beyond 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) despite repeated calls from Trump, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and many of the countries most threatened by Russia.
The most imminent defense decision in Europe is whether to use the Russian assets frozen in Euroclear, a Brussels-based financial securities clearing company. Up to 185,000 million in liquidity are accumulated there, which the Commission wants to use for a reconstruction loan to Ukraine.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever is strongly resisting because he fears that Putin will turn to international courts to demand the return of that liquidity and sue the country, in addition to attacking Belgian companies. However, many countries and, above all, the Commission argue that this remains the main way to finance Ukraine. And they always remind: this country is "Europe's first line of defense." Now, with a reduced U.S. presence, even more so.