Romania's new leaders - President Nikusor Dan and Prime Minister Ilie Bologian - have ruled out the possibility of Romanian troops participating in a military mission in Ukraine. However, Bucharest wants to play an active role in ensuring peace in the neighboring country - that is why it is ready to provide military bases on Romanian territory to support Ukraine in the future.
The Prime Minister said that the deployment of F-35 fighter jets in Romania could be his country's contribution to efforts to establish lasting peace in Ukraine, the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung“ (FAZ) quoted him as saying. Bologhian points out that the Black Sea bases, which are still used by NATO, are at the Alliance's disposal to guarantee peace in Ukraine.
Ukraine keeps the Russian threat at bay
As Michael Martens recalls in the FAC, Bologhian (then acting president) stressed back in May that Ukraine's defense against Moscow's aggression is of strategic interest to Romania - because it is the Ukrainians who keep the Russian threat at bay from the Romanian borders. If Ukraine were to falter, it would lead to a Russian offensive in the West, which neither Romania nor the rest of the continent wants, Bologhian said. He stressed that a Romanian boot would not set foot on Ukrainian soil, but offered opportunities for transit through his country and logistical assistance for possible missions.
FAC notes that due to its strategic location in Eastern Europe, Romania has many military bases that are also important for NATO - especially the "Mihail Kogalniceanu" air base near Constanta. Up to 10,000 soldiers from the Alliance could be stationed there, and the project is a priority for Romania, which, after Poland, has the second largest army on NATO's eastern flank. For his part, President Dan told FAC that investments in this base will continue to be made according to plan so that it can receive the military from the United States and other allies.
Military bases that are of strategic importance
In addition to "Mihail Kogalniceanu" There is a NATO training base near the city of Cincu in Romania, and pilots are trained for the F-16 at the military airport near Feteşti (and Ukrainian from 2024). The base near the city of Deveselu houses an American missile defense system, which is capable of preventing possible threats from ballistic missiles outside the Euro-Atlantic area.
As the FACS points out, 200 military personnel are needed to operate this system, and at its opening in 2016, the then NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke of a “significant increase in the defense capabilities of European allies against ballistic missiles outside the Euro-Atlantic area“. According to him, the threat of such missiles is real, so “the Deveselu area represents a lasting investment against a long-term threat“.
The combination of different types of military bases on the territory of Romania is not insignificant, Michael Martens points out. The current leadership in Bucharest is firmly against Russia's aggression against Ukraine. In September, President Dan will hold talks in Kiev with his counterpart Zelensky. The Romanian head of state is a supporter of further economic sanctions against Moscow in order to force it to negotiate. He confirmed that Romania is ready to join the security guarantees for Ukraine.
Support for Ukraine leads to incidents similar to those in Bulgaria
Michael Martens points out that Romania's critical course towards Moscow is not without consequences – A fire at an arms factory in the town of Chugir in early August, which destroyed hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition worth around five million euros, is believed to be linked to Russian involvement. As the FAC reports, the incident is reminiscent of many arson attacks at arms factories in Bulgaria, where prosecutors are currently investigating the possible involvement of Russian military intelligence (GRU) in the incidents.
However, the German publication notes that it is uncertain whether Bucharest's clear support for NATO and Ukraine will continue to enjoy the support of the majority of the people in the country. To reduce the high budget deficit, Prime Minister Bolognese is forced to implement savings and tax increases, and it is not known how long the ruling coalition will be able to pursue such a course. The nationalist opposition leader Gheorghe Simion, whose "Alliance for the Unification of Romanians" leads in all surveys, should not be underestimated. The next parliamentary elections in Romania are scheduled to take place at the end of 2028.