UNITED NATIONS: Romania intends to rapidly establish joint defensive drone production with Ukraine for domestic and allied use.
Foreign Minister Oana Toiu revealed these plans during an interview on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
She emphasised the strategic importance of better protecting NATO’s eastern flank through enhanced air defence capabilities.
“We believe it is strategic for the eastern flank to be better protected, especially in air defence,“ Toiu told Reuters.
The minister expressed confidence in Romania’s ability to make this defensive drone partnership a reality quickly.
Discussions with Ukraine began before recent airspace incursions that regional nations have attributed to Russia.
Tensions have escalated recently as Estonia accused Russia of sending fighter jets into its airspace.
NATO jets also shot down drones over Poland while Romanian jets nearly engaged a drone entering its airspace.
Russia maintains it has never targeted European Union or NATO member states.
Ukraine has recently moved to relax restrictions on exporting its battlefield-tested weapons systems.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy promoted Ukrainian weapons during his United Nations address to demonstrate mutual benefits.
The European Union supports creating a defensive “drone wall” to protect the region.
Romania has additionally approved an increased United States troop presence to support Middle East operations.
European allies worry about potential reductions to approximately 80,000 United States troops in Europe.
Romania plans substantial investment exceeding 2.5 billion euros into its Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base.
The expansion will enable the base to accommodate up to 10,000 Romanian and allied troops.
Toiu noted that air refuelling capabilities might be necessary for Middle East contingency operations.
The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment regarding its troop deployment plans. – Reuters
