Washington has told Romania, which neighbours war-torn Ukraine, and allies it will reduce the number of U.S. troops deployed on NATO’s eastern flank, Romania’s Defence Ministry said Wednesday (October 29, 2025), a move some officials downplayed while analysts warned it could embolden Russia.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised NATO, and insisted that European allies boost military spending as Ukraine battles Russia’s invasion.

Some 85,000 American troops are stationed in Europe, including 20,000 troops deployed to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, according to the U.S. Defence Department.

The latest announcement came after reports this year that Washington could withdraw 10,000 troops from eastern Europe as the U.S. focus shifts more towards the Indo-Pacific region, which the Pentagon called it’s “priority theatre”.

“The resizing of U.S. forces is a result of the new priorities of the presidential administration, announced back in February,” Romania’s defence ministry said in a statement.

The decision “also took into account the fact that NATO has strengthened its presence and activity on the eastern flank,” it added.

‘Wrong signal’

A NATO official told AFP that the body had been informed by the Trump administration in advance, and played down its significance.

“Even with this adjustment, the U.S. force posture in Europe remains larger than it has been for many years, with many more U.S. forces on the continent than before 2022,” the official said.

Washington’s commitment to the alliance remained “clear”, the official added.

But experts such as George Scutaru, co-founder of the New Strategy Center, a Romanian think tank, warned the move was the “wrong signal” to send to Russia regarding the Black Sea region.

“Russia will consider that Black Sea is not so important for American interests in Europe,” he told AFP.

Moscow “will be encouraged trying to put pressure more especially on Romania using drones, excursions in airspace,” he added.

Mr. Scutaru said it was important for European allies to send “a signal of solidarity” and consider enhancing their “military presence to compensate,” citing France in particular, on the eve of a visit by French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin to Romania.

“1000 more, 1000 less, it does not influence a lot the military balance in the Black Sea. It’s about a political signal,” he said.

Poland’s Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters that the country had “not received any information… about a reduction in the contingent in Poland”.

Romania’s Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu however said the U.S. decision was not a “withdrawal”.

It was the “cessation of the rotation of a brigade that had elements in several NATO countries, including Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary”, he told journalists.

‘Unchanged’ capabilities

Mosteanu said that 900-1,000 U.S. soldiers would remain in Romania.

They will help “to deter any threat” and represent “a guarantee of the United States’ commitment to regional security”, he said.

According to the latest government figures, about 1,700 U.S. troops are currently deployed in Romania.

Mosteanu insisted that strategic capabilities were “unchanged”. He added that a missile-defence system at the Deveselu NATO base “remains fully operational”.

“The Campia Turzii air base continues to be a key point for air operations and allied cooperation, the Mihail Kogalniceanu base continues to be developed, and the American flag will remain present at all three sites,” he added.

“An air-combat group will remain at the Kogzlniceanu airbase, as was the case before the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine,” he said.

The U.S. decision will however “weaken the security” of Romania, which is a “frontline state”, Phillips O’Brien, an analyst based at Scotland’s University of St Andrews, warned.

“Please wake up, Europe — the USA will not defend you against Russia,” he wrote on X.

Published – October 29, 2025 10:07 pm IST

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the Russian action a “reckless” threat to security. File.
| Photo Credit: AP

A 34-year-old woman in Romania was found dead in her apartment in Bucharest under disturbing circumstances. Adriana Neagoe, a dog-lover who owned two pugs, had been unresponsive to calls and messages for several days, prompting her family to check on her well-being. Police and firefighters were alerted following which they broke into the apartment. But what they discovered inside her house shocked all present. According to The Sun, officials found Ms Neagoe’s lifeless half-eaten body on the floor with her two pugs beside her. 

The police revealed that they came across the shocking scene along with the person who had alerted them. It was clear the unfed dogs had already begun to eat at Ms Neagoe’s corpse, the cops added, as per The Sun. 

While there were no apparent signs of violence noticed, an autopsy was performed on the body to determine the cause of death. A police investigation is underway. Meanwhile, the two pugs have been moved to a shelter. 

“Another angel has gone to heaven,” Ms Neagoe’s sister, Maria Alexandra, said in a heartbreaking post on Facebook, confirming the death. “My beautiful sister Anda Sasha is no longer among us,” she added. 

Separately. Ms Neagoe’s friends and family members also paid tributes to the 34-year-old. “I am devastated! May God protect her and give you the strength to overcome. Please let me know if I can help with anything. Condolences,” wrote one user. “My deepest condolences to you! I am in shock!” said another. 

Ms Neagoe’s funeral will take place at a local chapel, her family said.

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Meanwhile, in a similar incident, a woman who died alone at her Argentina home in 2023 was found partially eaten by her pet dogs. According to Newsweek, the 67-year-old, identified as Ana Ines de Marotte, suffered from Alzheimer’s before her death and was apparently estranged from her daughter. 

Neighbours called the authorities after noticing a foul smell emanating from the 67-year-old’s apartment. After reaching the scene, cops discovered the woman’s body lying on the floor next to her four pet dogs. 

Authorities confirmed that the woman’s pets had eaten part of her face and arms. 

Romania’s political landscape was left shocked after pro-Russia populist Calin Georgescu won the first round of the presidential election. The far-right leader knocked the EU-leaning premier out of the race that will be decided in a December run-off.

Romanians are casting ballots on Sunday (November 24, 2024) in the first round of a presidential election that could pit a far-right nationalist against the incumbent leftist prime minister in the runoff.

Thirteen candidates are vying for the presidency in the European Union and NATO member country, and the vote is expected to go to a second round on Dec. 8. Polls opened at 7.00 a.m. local time (0500GMT) and will close at 9.00 p.m. (1900GMT). Romanians abroad have been able to vote since Friday.

By 2 p.m. (1200GMT), 4.8 million people — about 27% of eligible voters — had cast ballots, according to the Central Election Bureau.

The final vote could see George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, face off against incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, backed by Romania’s largest party, the Social Democratic Party or PSD.

The presidential role carries a five-year term and has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security, foreign policy, and judicial appointments.

Romania will also hold parliamentary elections on Dec. 1 that will determine the country’s next government and prime minister.

Simion, 38, is a vocal supporter of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and has long been a controversial figure. He campaigned for reunification with Moldova, which this year renewed a five-year ban on him entering the country over security concerns, and he is banned for the same reason from entering neighboring Ukraine.

“I would like that in the next five to ten years, for Romanians to be really proud to be Romanians, to promote Romanian culture, Romanian products,” he told reporters on Wednesday in the capital, Bucharest. “As a Romanian president, I will promote Romanian interests. In most cases, Romanian interests coincide with partner interests.”

Ecaterina Nawadia, a 20-year-old architecture student, said she voted for the first time in a national election on Sunday and hopes young people turn out in high numbers.

“Since the (1989) revolution, we didn’t have a really good president,” she said. “I hope most of the people my age went to vote … because the leading candidate is not the best option.”

Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, says Sunday’s vote will be “a tight race” in which the diaspora will likely play a key role in which candidates make it to the runoff.

“We are at a point where Romania can easily divert or slip toward a populist regime because (voter) dissatisfaction is pretty large among a lot of people from all social strata,” he told The Associated Press. “And the temptation for any regime, any leader — will be to go on a populist road.”

He added that Romania’s large budget deficit, high inflation, and an economic slowdown could push more mainstream candidates to shift toward populist stances amid widespread dissatisfaction.

Ciolacu told the AP that if he is elected, one of his biggest goals is “to convince Romanians that it is worth staying at home or returning” to Romania, which has a massive diaspora spread throughout EU countries.

“Romania has a huge chance to become a developed economy in the next 10 years, where honest work is fairly rewarded and people have the security of a better life,” he said. “But for this, we need balance and responsibility … I am running for the Presidency of Romania because we need a change.”

Other key candidates include Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party, or USR; former NATO deputy general secretary Mircea Geoana, who is running independently; and Nicolae Ciuca, a former army general and head of the center-right National Liberal Party, which is currently in a tense coalition with the PSD.

Geoana, a former foreign minister and ambassador to the United States, told the AP that he believes his international experience qualifies him above the other candidates. “I think I bring a lot of competence and experience and connections in this complicated world,” he said.

Lasconi, a former journalist and the leader of the USR, said she sees corruption as one of the biggest problems Romania faces and that she supports increased defense spending and continued aid to Ukraine.

Romania has been a staunch ally of war-torn Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022. But Simion of the AUR party said he opposes Romania — which has sent a Patriot missile system to Ukraine — contributing further military aid and that he hopes Trump can “stop the war.”

In 2020, the AUR party went from relative obscurity to gaining 9% in a parliamentary vote, allowing it to enter parliament. Opponents have long accused Simion and AUR of being extremists, charges he denies.

“We are sort of a Trumpist party in this new wave of patriotic political parties in Europe,” Simion said.

Vaideeni, Romania:

Villagers in Vaideeni at the foot of Romania’s Carpathian mountains are fuming at French luxury brand Louis Vuitton for “stealing” the design of their traditional blouse.

Maria Gioanca, 69, one of two dozen women who still hand sew the black-and-white garment in the village, told AFP she “won’t let the costume be stolen” for fancy beach wear.

Calls for luxury brands to acknowledge the inspirations of their designs have grown in recent years, as the fashion industry has been faced with accusations of cultural appropriation and exploiting the heritage of minority groups.

In Romania, the activist group La Blouse Roumaine (The Romanian Blouse) has been asking brands since 2017 to come clean and “credit” the places of origin when their clothes are similar to or inspired by Romanian folk costumes.

Dedicated to promoting the traditional “ie” blouse — known to have inspired fashion designers like Yves Saint-Laurent, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Kenzo — their complaints have yielded mixed results.

‘Violating cultural rights’ 

In Vaideeni, many of the seamstresses had not heard of Louis Vuitton, but noticed the similarity to their traditional “ie” blouses right away when they saw a photo of the French brand’s white linen blouse embroidered with black motifs for their new “LV by the Pool” collection.

“Why mock our stuff?” said Ioana Staniloiu, 76, scoffing at the blouse created by star designer Nicolas Ghesquiere and advertised on the Louis Vuitton website as “airy” and having “a fresh, bohemian look”.

“Next to our blouse, it’s ugly,” she said.

Accusing the French company of “violating the cultural rights of the communities”, La Blouse Roumaine founder Andreea Tanasescu said people felt offended that a blouse traditionally worn on special occasions is used as beach wear.

“You have to be very careful… It’s better you go and talk to the community, spend time there,” the former casting director, 49, told AFP, adding fashion could help “protect and promote cultural heritage” if there was an exchange.

Romania’s culture minister asked the company last month to acknowledge the heritage.

Louis Vuitton declined to comment when contacted by AFP, but confirmed media reports that it apologised to Romania and stopped selling the blouse.

It no longer appears on the brand’s website, and 20 as-yet unsold blouses have been put aside, according to reports.

‘Scared’ for future 

In the past, La Blouse Roumaine convinced US designer Tory Burch to change the description of a coat crediting its Romanian inspiration. They didn’t get any reply from Dior in a similar case.

Romanian traditional clothes and textiles have “an exceptional, special aesthetic”, according to textile specialist Florica Zaharia, pointing at the blouse’s “discretion and elegance”.

“There is a beauty that we cannot ignore,” said Zaharia, who opened the first textiles museum in Romania in 2018 after almost 30 years working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

But critics say these controversies don’t end up helping communities to save their dying crafts.

It’s like “airing dirty laundry in public”, Romanian Peasant Museum curator Horatiu Ilea said, adding “the only thing” that could help is for young people to learn the crafts.

While the making of the Romanian blouse was added to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage in 2022, there is no patent on it, and there are different styles even among the same group of seamstresses.

In Vaideeni, some women have recently taken up the craft they learned from their elders, but it is far from easy.

It takes at least a month to sew a blouse selling for around 300 to 400 euros ($320-$430), and they don’t exactly sell like hotcakes.

“I’m a bit scared (about the future), but we won’t give up here,” said Staniloiu, whose daughter and four granddaughters have all left the village to look for work elsewhere.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Netherlands swept into their first European Championship quarter-final since 2008 as Donyell Malen scored twice in a 3-0 win over Romania in the last 16 on Tuesday. Cody Gakpo gave the Dutch an early lead but they were unable to convert pressure into a crucial second goal until the Liverpool forward set up Malen with seven minutes remaining in Munich.  Romania were gritty but out-classed, lacking the quality to punish their opponents’ profligacy before Malen added his second on the counter in stoppage-time. The victory put the Oranje on course for a quarter-final clash with Turkey or Austria, who beat the Netherlands in 3-2 in the group stage. 

“We played a good game. I’m very pleased. Especially after the last game we needed a reaction and today was a good step in the right direction,” Gakpo said.

“We talked a lot about the aggression, the intensity and defending like a team. It was a good step. 

“Sacrifice something for each other and work really hard to be at your best. Good game overall.”

Ronald Koeman’s side will need to improve their effectiveness in front of goal should they wish to emulate their manager, who was a player for the Dutch when they won the 1988 Euros on German soil.

Prior to the game, Netherlands’ captain Virgil van Dijk said his side lacked energy and the “will to win” in the loss to Austria.

But the Dutch were still strangely flat in the early stages despite Van Dijk’s rallying cry.

Group E winners Romania, whose 3-0 victory over Ukraine in their opening game, was just their second ever win in the Euros, pinned the Dutch back early. 

Romania went close when Dennis Man latched onto a superb diagonal ball from Nicolae Stanciu, but the Parma winger blasted over.

The Dutch broke Romania’s momentum shortly after when Gakpo got on the end of a sweeping move to open the scoring on 20 minutes.

Jerdy Schouten sliced a perfect, long pass through the midfield to Xavi Simons, who found Gakpo on the left flank. 

Gakpo eluded Andrei Ratiu and seemed to catch goalkeeper Florin Nita off-guard, blasting in at the near post. 

The goal ignited a period of Dutch dominance, Stefan de Vrij heading inches wide five minutes later. 

The Netherlands wasted a perfect chance to double their lead with half-time approaching when Denzel Dumfries picked Bogdan Racovitan’s pocket and found Simons, who got tangled up and failed to get a decent shot away.

Koeman’s team squandered an array of opportunities early in the second half.

Memphis Depay and van Dijk went agonisingly close before Gakpo’s second was ruled out by VAR for offside.

With every missed chance, the nerves in the Dutch camp seemed to grow, but Romania lacked the quality to truly punish them. 

Gakpo, the most impressive man in orange, took matters into his own hands with seven minutes remaining, dribbling through a crowded penalty area and finding Malen who tapped home. 

“We work very hard with each other to do our best and I’m happy I could assist Donnie with his goal today,” Gakpo said. 

With Romania launching a final attack, Malen broke through on the counter and slid the ball into the goal in the fourth minute of stoppage-time to seal the victory. 

Romania vs Netherlands Live Streaming Euro 2024 Round Of 16 Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch© AFP

With exciting football and vibrant fans lighting up cities across Germany, Euro 2024 has thrilled even though the European game’s biggest stars have failed to take the tournament by storm. Between injury struggles, shaky form and bad luck, many of football’s leading lights have underwhelmed in the group phase. Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo, playing at a record sixth Euros, is yet to strike in three appearances — if he manages to, the 39-year-old will become the oldest ever goalscorer at the tournament.

Arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe is only off the mark for France with a penalty against Poland in a disappointing 1-1 draw that resulted in the favourites finishing second in Group D.

Mbappe spurned a golden opportunity against Austria, missing a draw against the Netherlands with a broken nose before returning with a mask in Les Bleus’ third outing.

“He’s hungry to play and the game would have done him some good,” said France coach Didier Deschamps, hopeful the forward will quickly find his devastating best with a last 16 clash against Belgium beckoning.

Poland’s talisman Robert Lewandowski could not feature in their opening defeat against the Netherlands because of a thigh problem.

The Barcelona striker and his country were eliminated as he was ineffective when he came off the bench against Austria, before he netted a penalty in the France draw.

England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored from open play against Serbia and Denmark respectively but have vastly under-performed after thriving at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich this season.

England coach Gareth Southgate hooked Kane in a drab 1-1 draw against Denmark, but the subsequent 0-0 against Slovenia was even more dour.

“Not every player is going to star in every game,” said Southgate afterwards.

France’s Antoine Griezmann and England’s Phil Foden have also fired blanks after strong seasons for Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.

“Sometimes (Griezmann’s) generosity means he doesn’t have as clear a head as he should have,” said Deschamps, who benched the midfielder in the final group match.

Belgium’s all-time top scorer Romelu Lukaku is also without a goal, albeit not for want of trying, having had three disallowed by VAR as his team slunk through in second from Group E.

Veteran Luka Modric, 38, usually a key figure in Croatia’s frequently impressive exploits, did score against Italy but only after missing a penalty and struggling in the first two matches, with his country eventually eliminated.

Own goals galore

Remarkably there have been seven own goals, making up 26 percent of the 27 inadvertently netted in the competition’s history.

Even the players who have shone thus far have largely been surprises for one reason or another.

N’Golo Kante is proving key for France despite moving a year ago to play in Saudi Arabia, while talented youngster Jamal Musiala has been hosts Germany’s leading light ahead of veteran stars Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gundogan and Kai Havertz.

Target man Niclas Fullkrug has scored twice for Germany like Musiala, while Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz and Romania’s Razvan Marin also have a pair of goals to their name.

Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo finished neatly for his second goal in a 3-2 defeat by Austria, in a performance their coach Ronald Koeman labelled “appalling”.

The tournament’s current top scorer is debutants Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze with three goals, two of those from the penalty spot.

Spain qualified top of Group B with a game to spare and have arguably been the team of the tournament so far, but two of their key players have been unlikely candidates in Fabian Ruiz and Marc Cucurella.

With 15 matches still to play before one of the 16 remaining sides is crowned champions in Berlin on July 14, fans are still waiting for the tournament’s star names to join the party.