“We relax at the moment when Putin is bolder than ever.” American veterans criticize Trump's decision to withdraw troops from the border with Russia

The decision of the Trump administration to withdraw a rotating brigade of the US army from Romania and other NATO countries has provoked vehement criticism from American veterans, who consider this move a strategic mistake that weakens the deterrent power of the alliance and plays directly in favor of Vladimir Putin, writes Saturday Kyiv Post, the Ukrainian daily that first reported on this resizing of troops.

The decision to end the deployment of the 101st Airborne Division comes in the context in which Russia's aggression in the Black Sea region is intensifying, and NATO allies are facing pressure to remain on alert, writes the Ukrainian publication, quoted by News.ro.

The Pentagon presented the move as a “strategic adjustment” to free up resources for the Indo-Pacific region, but critics say the timing could not have been better and contradicts the White House's own “peace through force” doctrine.

Veterans On Duty (VOD), a national security advocacy group led by former members of the military, issued a statement condemning the Pentagon's decision.

At the forefront of the anti-withdrawal movement is Jeremy Hunt, a former US Army intelligence captain who served in Eastern Europe and now heads VOD.

In an interview with the Kyiv Post newspaper on Friday, Hunt warned that the decision to withdraw the US sends a disastrous signal just as Putin is testing NATO's resolve.

“It's a key element in deterring Putin, and the timing couldn't be worse,” Hunt said, adding: “In recent weeks, we've seen him test the defenses of countries on the eastern flank.”

Hunt believes that American leadership is essentially based on presence: “It's about being there to deter and reassure. I can't think of another time when it would have been more important to show our allies in the region that we are here and that we are deterring Putin at a time when he is more emboldened than ever in many ways,” he emphasized.

A tactical mistake and a symbolic retreat

In the end, the Pentagon's decision represents not only a tactical mistake, but also a symbolic retreat, Hunt also claimed. He emphasized that the US military presence in Eastern Europe has always had a dual importance: as a training force for allies and as a visible warning to Moscow.

“When we were training Ukrainian forces in 2016, it wasn't just about tactics,” he recalled, explaining that it was a signal to Putin that the U.S. remains steadfast in its allies' sovereignty.

The withdrawal now sends the opposite message – that “we are relaxing our vigilance at the moment when Putin is bolder than ever”, he insisted.

The 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division, which has been stationed in Romania since 2022, will return to its base in Kentucky without being replaced.

US officials stressed that troop numbers in Poland and the Baltic countries would remain unchanged, but European military sources told the Kyiv Post that further reductions were expected in Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia by mid-December.

For veterans like Hunt, the decision risks creating a vacuum in a region already bracing for an escalation.

In recent weeks there has been an increase in incursions by Russian drones and aircraft into the airspace of NATO members such as Romania, Poland and Estonia, a pattern which, according to Hunt, underlines the “immediate nature” of the threat.

Romania, praised by the American veteran

Hunt said the brigade's withdrawal from our country inevitably brings “dismay” among allies such as Romania and Poland, who may now question whether Washington's commitment to Article 5, the cornerstone of the alliance's mutual defense pact, is unwavering. “When we start withdrawing the brigades, allies naturally wonder: Is this the start of something bigger? Is this a signal that other measures will follow?” he said. “We cannot afford this kind of uncertainty on NATO's eastern flank, not now,” the veteran pointed out.

The Pentagon has promised further clarification in the coming weeks, but on Capitol Hill skepticism is growing. Several key senators, including the Republican chairs of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, criticized the move as one that “sends the wrong signal to Russia” and “undermines deterrence at a critical time.”

Some US officials have argued privately that European militaries are in better shape now than before Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, allowing Washington to “pass the baton”.

Hunt does not deny that progress has been made, but cautions that preparation should not be confused with parity. “I applaud our European allies, especially Romania, for increasing defense spending and investing in their armies,” he said, adding, however, that stronger allies are not a reason to withdraw, but a reason to double the partnership. “We should strengthen the eastern flank, not reduce our visibility,” he stressed.

As the 101st Airborne Division prepares to leave, anxiety is growing in Bucharest, Brussels and beyond, Kyiv Post comments. For veterans like Hunt, who have spent years strengthening NATO's front lines, the decision seems more like an invitation to miscalculation than a recalibration.

“When we withdraw, we give Putin room to maneuver,” Hunt emphasized. “At a time when the world is watching to see if the US is still leading, this is not just a negative message, but a disastrous one,” concluded the veteran.