Bolojan's explanation: why the authorities delayed the announcement of the withdrawal of American troops for two days. “They sweated the dates the night before”
Ilie Bolojan at the Cotroceni Palace. Photo: Presidential Administration
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan stated, on Thursday, on Antena 1, that the announcement regarding the withdrawal of American troops from the Mihail Kogălniceanu base was postponed for two days by the Bucharest authorities because it was agreed with the American side for it to make the announcement for the first time during a briefing in the Defense Committee of the House of Representatives.
Ilie Bolojan stated that he knew since Monday that the United States would withdraw part of the military stationed in Romania. “This decision was initially announced without the knowledge. We were notified on Monday through the military attaché of our embassy who was called to the Pentagon,” Bolojan said. The Romanian ambassador to NATO also received a similar notification from his American counterpart.
An information that “sweated” too soon
Thus, it was agreed that the official announcement by the Romanian authorities would not be made before Wednesday, the day on which the American government was to send an information to the House of Representatives. A press conference was already prepared at the Ministry of Defense in Bucharest, but the information “leaked” a day earlier, being published in the Ukrainian press.
“It was considered that when there will be a briefing on Wednesday in the committees of the House of Representatives, on the defense side, there is a possibility of leaking this information. And then, the Ministry of Defense prepared a press conference for Wednesday, in order to announce these things. But they leaked, let's say the data, the night before,” said Bolojan.
Head of Romanian diplomacy, announcement after the partial withdrawal of US troops: By the end of the year and in 2026, we will see a strengthened NATO presence in the country
Ilie Bolojan said that the intentions of the United States regarding the deployment of its troops abroad have been announced since the installation of the second Trump administration, when there was talk of changing the center of gravity to the Asia-Pacific area and the assumption of more responsibilities by European NATO allies.
“This was established in June at the NATO summit in The Hague. These days, the additional American troops brought to Europe after the invasion of Ukraine were partially reduced,” the head of government added.
The first official US position regarding its military in Romania: “This does not represent an American withdrawal from Europe. On the contrary”
“We didn't have stable bases, but a rotation. The rotations practically stopped coming, but the troops of our allies are in Romania, the military bases are active and all the security guarantees are in place”, continued Ilie Bolojan.
He announced that the negotiations with the European Commission regarding access to Defense funds provided for in the SAFE program are in an advanced phase and will be completed in the second half of November.
“Then a CSAT will be convened to approve our endowment plan that will be presented to the European Commission,” said Bolojan.
What does “resizing” US troops mean?
Romania and allied NATO countries have been informed of the United States' decision regarding the “resizing” of American troops in Europe, the Romanian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday. MAPN's confirmation came after the Ukrainian publication Kyiv Post wrote, citing American and European sources, that the Donald Trump Administration is about to withdraw “thousands” of American soldiers from Romania.
The Minister of Defense, Ionuț Moșteanu, made a press statement in which he said that troop rotations within an American brigade will be stopped.
“We are not talking about a withdrawal of American forces, but about stopping the rotation of a brigade that had elements in several NATO states: Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania. Approximately 1,000 American soldiers will remain in Romania, contributing to the deterrence of any threats and representing a continuation of the US commitment to regional security. The strategic capabilities remain unchanged in Romania,” Moșteanu said in a conference in press.
According to HotNews.ro sources, the decision now practically means the return to the level of American presence on a rotational basis before the war in Ukraine, i.e. before 2022. Thus, approximately 7-800 soldiers will remain at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Base, about 200 at Deveselu where the Aegis Ashore anti-missile shield operates and over 100 at Câmpia Turzii.
Compared to the moment of 2022, when it was decided to supplement the rotation with the USA, a NATO Battle Group led by France was established in Romania and includes 1,100 people, with the possibility of raising it to brigade level if needed, in a short time – that is, from 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers.
