Before Elbridge Colby’s visit to Bucharest, American officials argued that reducing troops in Europe could not be discussed until the “key issues” were resolved. In an appearance in Brussels, Colby said that, although Europe had made progress in defense and supported Ukraine, issues such as access, basing, and overflight for American forces still remained to be settled. In parallel, the Pentagon began a review of the American military presence on the continent, with options for the secretary of defense to be developed by early November, based on criteria including allies’ commitments and access rights (ABO).
Regarding the Black Sea, Romania also held direct discussions with the US and in a NATO format: Romania’s ambassador to the Alliance, Dan Neculăescu, together with presidential adviser Marius Lazurca, met with the US ambassador to NATO, Matt Whitaker, focusing on regional security and the review of the United States’ posture.
At the political level, Marius Lazurca called in an interview with CNN in Washington for a stronger American military presence in Romania, citing the worsening security situation in the Black Sea region and arguing that Romania needs the support of its allies, especially the United States, to deter threats.
