Romanian President Says Drone Incursions Won't Weaken Support for Ukraine
In an interview with SiriusXM's «The Julie Mason Show», President Nicușor Dan reaffirmed Romania's backing for Kyiv and Chișinău, while urging more US troops and investment on Romanian soil.
Romania will not scale back its backing for Ukraine despite repeated Russian drone incursions into its airspace, President Nicușor Dan said in an interview with the American radio program «The Julie Mason Show» on SiriusXM. The president said Bucharest remains committed to supporting Kyiv and Chișinău in their bids to join the European Union and to align their armed forces with NATO standards.
Dan acknowledged that Romania is directly affected by the war launched by Russia, citing air drones that have unintentionally entered Romanian territory, naval drones that have gone out of control in the Black Sea, and drifting mines. He noted that Romania cooperates with Bulgaria and Turkey to clear mines from the Black Sea and that Romanian pilots have scrambled to shoot down some of the drones over national territory. He also mentioned a Romanian mission in the Baltic states, where pilots downed a drone in Estonia. «But this does not change our support for Ukraine», Dan stressed.
The president said Romania will continue to press for economic pressure on Russia through sanctions and to find ways to effectively help Ukraine in the war, describing this as the most important task. He referred to discussions held at the United Nations General Assembly, where he said the goal is to align positions and sustain sanctions pressure on the Russian economy.
Turning to relations with Washington, Dan said Romania is eager to host more American soldiers on its territory. «We are looking forward to having American soldiers on our soil», he said, adding that such a presence would benefit both sides because Romania is close to the Middle East and the Mediterranean region. He recalled recent military cooperation in which US aircraft used Romanian bases for refueling and defensive equipment.
On the economic front, Dan pointed to American companies such as Ford and Microsoft that have already invested in Romania and reported good returns. He said Romania would welcome more US firms, citing the country's strong tradition in science and engineering and its potential in energy.
Asked whether he is worried about the future of NATO and a possible shift in the US role within the alliance, Dan said he is not. He nonetheless agreed with Donald Trump's argument that the United States supported Europe's defense for years without a balanced effort from allies. Dan said important steps were taken at last year's summit in The Hague and this year's summit in Ankara, noting that Romania was among the first European countries to agree to raise defense spending to 2 percent of GDP and among the first to accept further increases.
Dan also discussed cooperation with Moldova and Ukraine, recalling a trilateral meeting in Chișinău three weeks ago with Maia Sandu and Volodymyr Zelensky. He described the relationship with both countries as extremely good and said it is especially important for Moldova, which has only two neighbors, Romania and Ukraine. Romania supports both countries' EU accession and their compatibility with NATO standards, even though they remain independent, he said.
The president declined to comment directly on Trump's criticism of the United Nations but acknowledged that the institution needs reforms. He stressed that the General Assembly remains important for dialogue among world leaders and for seeking solutions to security crises.
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