BRUSSELS (Reuters) -NATO and US authorities are in close contact about force posture, a NATO official said on Wednesday after Romania's defence ministry said allies were notified of U.S. plans to cut the number of troops stationed on Europe's eastern flank.

The Pentagon’s decision to pull out as many as 800 troops deployed in Eastern Europe has prompted a rare, forceful pushback from congressional Republicans.

European leaders vowed to work in coordination to ratchet up the pressure on Russia as the so-called “coalition of the willing” met in London to discuss strategies to end the war in Ukraine.

Mysterious drone flights over the airspace of European Union member countries in recent weeks have alarmed the public and elected officials.

It is the first announcement of the Trump administration’s plans to scale back forces in Europe, where the U.S. has underpinned security since World War II.