Romania and the NATO Allies
The number of French soldiers in Romania has been increased, said the Minister of the Armed Forces in Paris, Catherine Vautrin, who is on a visit to Romania.
Leyla Cheamil, 31.10.2025, 13:50
France will remain a firm ally of Romania, given that its own security is dependent on that of NATO’s Eastern Flank, said in Sibiu (central Romania), the French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans, Catherine Vautrin. She met with her Romanian counterpart, Ionut Moşteanu, for bilateral discussions held at the “Nicolae Bălcescu” Land Forces Academy. The two also visited the contingents deployed in the National Training Center at the Cincu Training Range in Brașov County, where, for over a week, the “Dacian Fall” military exercise has been underway, bringing together and testing the skills of over 5,000 NATO soldiers, of whom over 3,000 are French. France is the framework nation for the NATO Battle Group in Romania, established in 2022 and which now brings together soldiers from France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain. Asked by journalists whether France will remain in Romania with the number of soldiers already established within the North Atlantic Alliance, Catherine Vautrin stated that the number has been increased recently, and her country will remain in Romania with the number of soldiers already established within the Alliance.
The French official and his Romanian counterpart analyzed the security situation in the Black Sea region, France’s contribution to strengthening NATO’s position on the eastern flank, and bilateral cooperation in support of collective defense. Minister Ionuț Moșteanu mentioned that, between the two countries, there is a very high potential for collaboration at the level of military industrial production. He recalled that the European SAFE program will facilitate a loan with a very convenient interest rate and period of grace through which Romania will be able to purchase military equipment from European manufacturers. On the other hand, Ionuț Moșteanu emphasized the essential role of France as the framework nation of the Allied Battle Group in Romania, stating that the presence of the French soldiers represents a solid guarantee of allied solidarity and a strong signal of Paris’ commitment to the security of the Black Sea region.
We remind you that the United States will withdraw some of the troops deployed on NATO’s Eastern Flank, leaving around 1,000 soldiers in the three bases in Romania. The Romanian Defense Minister stated that the American forces remain unchanged at the bases in Deveselu (south) and Câmpia Turzii (center). According to him, the only change will occur at the base in Mihail Kogălniceanu (southeast), where a rotational brigade will no longer be deployed. In turn, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana Ţoiu, stated in an interview for Free Europe that NATO allies, other than the US, will send new troops and equipment to Romania, after the White House administration decided to withdraw some of the American soldiers from Europe. She emphasized that this decision would not compromise the strategic partnership between Bucharest and Washington. Oana Ţoiu stated that the bilateral relationship is one of trust and is still developing. (LS)
