US warning to Moscow after Russia's 'provocations' in Eastern European countries, including Romania: 'It would be bad news for them and, in fact, for everyone'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized Russia's incursions into Eastern Europe on Wednesday and warned that Washington is firmly committed to NATO and to defending its partners if they are attacked, according to an official transcript of the remarks.

The US believes that the incursions of Russian drones and planes into the airspace of NATO states is creating a high level of tension, which could trigger something larger.

The warning was issued by the US foreign minister at a G7 meeting in Canada on Wednesday in response to a question from journalists about “increasing Russian incursions into Eastern European countries”.

“We don't agree with them. I mean, we don't like them,” Rubio said.

The secretary of state added that the US is ready to support its allies. “We have a strong commitment to NATO and to the defense of our partners should they be attacked,” he said.

Rubio also warned that these incursions could cause “something larger.”

“We believe that whatever … these provocations are coming from Russia. We believe that they are counterproductive and obviously create a high level of tension that could trigger something larger, which would be bad news for them and, in fact, bad news for everybody,” the US official said.

Incidents caused by Russia

A series of incidents provoked by Russia have occurred in recent months in Europe.

In October, Lithuania announced that two Russian planes had violated its airspace.

Three Russian military aircraft also violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes on September 19. NATO sent fighter jets and escorted them out of the airspace.

Russia has denied that its planes entered Estonia, saying that Tallinn has no evidence to support this claim and that it is trying to escalate tensions between East and West.

Nine days before, several Russian drones entered Polish airspace. NATO jets shot down some of them, marking the first time a member of the alliance fired on Russian targets since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Russian drones have also violated Romania's airspace, including in September, when F-16 pilots decided not to shoot down the drone they had in sight.

In September, NATO announced the launch of the “Eastern Sentinel” operation, which entails the deployment of additional troops from France, Germany, Great Britain and Denmark to the eastern flank, to ensure a rapid response to possible new airspace violations by Russia.

The resizing of the troops in Romania

Rubio's statement came after the recent announcement regarding the scaling back of US troops in Romania.

MApN announced on October 29 that Romania and allied NATO countries were informed of the United States' decision regarding the “resizing” of American troops in Europe. According to MApN, “approximately one thousand American soldiers will remain deployed” in Romania.

“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,” declared the Minister of Defense, Ionuț Moșteanu, in a press conference.

The heads of the defense committees in the US Senate, Roger Wicker, and in the House of Representatives, Mike Rogers, both Republicans, signed a joint statement on October 29, in which they express their concern over the Pentagon's announcement regarding the withdrawal of the rotational brigade from Romania, which they say is uncoordinated and in contradiction with President Trump's strategy.

Last week, President Donald Trump played down the significance of the decision.

“We are making some changes. It is the same total number of soldiers, but we rotate them. I like the Romanians, I think they are a great people,” said Donald Trump. “The relationship with Romania is very good,” the US president also said.

For his part, Pete Hegseth said that the decision regarding American troops was made by the Pentagon in coordination with the White House. “American troops will remain in Romania, but there will be changes in how they are rotated,” adding that NATO and allies had been notified in advance.