Interim Minister of Defense, Radu Miruță, says that the Ministry of Defense currently has no indication that American soldiers are set to leave Romania, in the context of the United States reevaluating some of its military capabilities in Europe.
„At this moment, there is no indication at the Ministry of Defense that American troops are going to leave Romania,” stated Radu Miruță on Sunday evening, on Digi24.
However, the Minister admitted that the presence of American soldiers directly impacts Romania's deterrence capability.
"Any American soldier leaving Romania diminishes Romania's deterrence capability," Miruță said.
He also spoke about the change in the way European allies need to contribute to their own defense, considering that some of the United States' capabilities in Europe are being reevaluated.
"We must prove that we are doing everything we can, each NATO member country, before seeking help from other countries," the Minister stated.
According to Miruță, Romania is "doing well today," both in terms of the percentage of GDP allocated to defense and the investments made in the defense industry.
Miruță argues that through the European SAFE program, five defense industry factories have been revitalized.
"Through SAFE, we have revitalized five factories that were almost overgrown with vegetation inside," the Minister stated.
Miruță also mentioned that a few months ago, Romania received up to 400 additional American soldiers as part of a temporary deployment approved by CSAT.