U.S. scales back troops on NATO’s eastern flank

Army confirms move but denies decreasing presence marks sign of lessened commitment.

- By LornE Cook AND STEPHEN MCGRATH

U.S. AND Romanian soldiers take part in an exercise on the Danube River in Frecatei, Romania, in June.

(ANDREI PUNGOVSCHI Getty Images)

The United States has informed its NATO allies that it will sealebackits troop presence along Europe's eastern border with Ukraine as it focuses on security priorities elsewhere in the world, Romania’s defense ministry said on Wednesday.

The U.S. Army later confirmed the move but denied it wasa sign oflessened commitment to NATO. Depending on operations and exercises, around 80,000-100,000 USS. 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 U.S. 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.

A U.S. shift 'toward the Indo-Pacific'