Romania Offers to Cover Part of US Troop Costs Amid Black Sea Tensions
Romania is offering to cover part of the costs the United States incurs to maintain troops on its territory, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg. Bucharest has joined other Eastern European governments, including Poland and the Baltic states, in proposing financial incentives for US personnel as tensions rise in the Black Sea. The country currently hosts around 1,000 American soldiers and was the first European state to face troop reductions ordered by the Trump administration last year. The Pentagon is set to complete a review of its military presence in Europe by the end of the year, which could lead to further cuts. Romania’s government plans to invest approximately €4 billion ($4.5 billion) by 2040 in the Mihail Kogălniceanu base on the Black Sea coast to accommodate more troops and improve living conditions. Authorities also intend to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP from the current 2.5%, while ranking as the second-largest beneficiary of the EU’s SAFE joint procurement program after Poland.