France's Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin and Romania's Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu walk after inspecting an honory guard at the Ground Forces Academy in Sibiu, Romania on October 30, 2025. OVIDIU MATIU / AFP
France's defense minister on Thursday, October 30 reassured Bucharest that Paris remained committed to Europe's "collective defense," after Washington said it would cut its troops in Romania.
The United States on Wednesday said it would pull some troops out from NATO's eastern flank but denied the move amounted to an American withdrawal from Europe. Romania's Defense Ministry said 900-1,000 US soldiers would remain in the country, down from the about 1,700 currently being deployed in the Black Sea nation.
During a visit to the EU and NATO member bordering war-torn Ukraine on Thursday, French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin said that France remains committed "to the collective defense of the European continent." The presence of 1,500 French troops in Romania was an expression of France's commitment, she said.
"The French Armed Forces are present in Romania, at the heart of the Eastern flank, in an international security context which is (...) very deteriorated," she said during a joint press conference with her Romanian counterpart Ionut Mosteanu. "They embody our concrete commitment (...) for the security of Romania, for the security of Europe, and for the security of France and the French people," she said.
