The allies of NATO were informed of the United States’ intentions to reduce troops stationed on the eastern flank of Europe, including soldiers that would relocate to the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Romania, the Ministry of Defense in Romania said on 29th October.

The administration of President Donald Trump has previously informed the European allies of Washington that they would have to assume greater responsibility for their personal security, as the United States will prioritize its own borders and the Indo-Pacific region.

The defense ministry said that the American decision was to halt the rotation of one brigade in Europe, which included components in various countries of NATO.

It claimed that the ruling was anticipated because the priorities in Washington had changed, but that approximately 1,000 U.S. soldiers would remain deployed in Romania.

The move also considered the fact that NATO has centralized its presence and operations on the eastern front, which makes the United States also reposition its military presence in the area, the ministry added. It was not stipulated how many U.S troops would be pulled out.

NATO did not give an immediate response.

Although NATO has concerns about the eastern flank of the possible reduction of the presence of the United States in the area at a time when Russia is still waging war in Ukraine, Trump announced in September that Washington may escalate its military forces.