Eastern allies urge Trump not to pull U.S. troops
Ministers from Estonia, Lithuania and Romania publicly urged President Trump to maintain U.S. rotational forces on NATO’s eastern flank after recent Russian air and drone incursions. They warned that Vladimir Putin is "pushing the limits," argued Moscow "believes only what it sees," and called for visible deterrence measures — including integrated air and missile defenses and sustained U.S. troop rotations — as Washington conducts a global force‑posture review.
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'Putin is pushing the limits’: Eastern allies warn Trump not to pull US troops
New information:
- Estonia Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, Lithuania Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys and Romania Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu gave on‑the‑record interviews urging continued U.S. troop presence.
- U.S. European Command currently fields about 80,000 American troops in Europe, down from roughly 105,000 after Russia’s full‑scale invasion.
- Recent incidents this month include Russian drones detected in Polish and Romanian airspace and three MiG‑29s briefly entering Estonian airspace; Russian aircraft were also spotted in the Alaskan ADIZ.
- Romania has authorized its forces to shoot down Russian drones that threaten its territory and is expanding energy and defense investments tied to U.S. cooperation.