Increased NATO attention to the eastern flank

After pieces of a Russian drone were found on Romanian territory, NATO reaffirms complete support from the Allies

Daniela Budu, 08.09.2023, 14:00

Following Russia’s repeated attacks on the Ukrainian
ports on the Danube river, pieces of a Russian drone were found a few days ago
on Romanian territory as well, in a village in Tulcea County near the Ukrainian
border. Officials from Ukraine’s foreign ministry were actually the first to
report the incident, but the Romanian defence ministry initially denied the
information.

Later on, however, the institution revised its
position, but added that the intelligence provided by electronic surveillance
and other monitoring systems did not reveal direct military threats against our
national territory or against Romania’s territorial waters. The defence
ministry also announced that it appointed field research teams, including on
the Danube, for additional inquiries.

Romania has been in permanent contact with NATO,
Bucharest also said. In fact, the Alliance’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg
announced that Romanian authorities had notified the Allies about the drone
pieces found in the country and that an investigation was on-going, pointing
out however that there was no evidence of a deliberate move by Moscow, but
rather that it was an accident.

On Wednesday, during talks with the foreign affairs
and defence committees in the European Parliament, Stoltenberg mentioned that
NATO has a stronger than ever presence on the eastern flank and that all member
states are defended under the new military plans.

In the context of this situation on the
Romanian-Ukrainian border, the Romanian defence minister Angel Tîlvăr, talking
in Bucharest with the US Ambassador to Romania Kathleen Kavalec,appreciated the Allies’ strong solidarity. The two
officials discussed the situation entailed by the Russian Federation’s recent
attacks against Ukraine’s Danube ports, close to the Romanian border.

The case was also approached during a telephone
discussion between Romania’s foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu and the US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They also discussed means to strengthen
bilateral cooperation in order to protect airspace security and, in this
context, mention was made of the deployment by the US Air Forces of F-16 aircraft
on Romanian territory.

According to a news release issued by the foreign
ministry, the Romanian diplomacy chief also welcomed the US and the Allies’
support and solidarity with Romania and emphasised the importance of NATO staying
alert to the developments at the Black Sea and in the region.

In turn, the US Secretary of State highlighted the US
solidarity with Romania and thanked Bucharest for its support for Ukraine and
for the additional measures taken in order to facilitate the transit of
Ukrainian grains. According to the Romanian foreign ministry, the US official
appreciated Romania’s interest and involvement in identifying efficient
solutions in this context, jointly with the US, the European Commission and
Ukraine. (AMP)