A reduction of US troops on NATO's eastern flank does not equate to an American withdrawal from Europe and will not change the security environment there, the US military said Wednesday.
"This is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO and Article 5," the US Army in Europe and Africa, headquartered in Germany, said in a statement referring to the alliance's collective defence principle. "Rather this is a positive sign of increased European capability and responsibility."
Romania's Defence Ministry said earlier that the US will reduce its presence on some eastern flank countries including Romania after NATO allies were formally informed about the decision.
The US has notified its allies that it will reduce some of its troop presence on NATO's eastern flank, news portal Romania Insider reported, citing a Defence Ministry statement.
The troop movements are not a withdrawal, according to Romanian authorities, but the end of rotations in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Hungary as some 1,000 soldiers will remain in the country, according to official figures.
NATO boosts Eastern Flank
"The resizing of US forces represents an effect of the new priorities of the presidential administration, announced as early as February," it said, referring to the Trump administration, which returned on January 20 for a second term.
"The 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."
According to the report, around 800 US troops will be pulled back primarily from the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, while the teams at Deveselu and Campia Turzii remain unchanged.
The move follows an April report by NBC News that the US was considering pulling back around half of troops now present in Eastern Europe.
The Trump administration has stressed that its NATO allies must do more to protect themselves.
