The Supreme National Defense Council of Romania will meet today under the leadership of President Klaus Iohannis, and among the topics on the agenda is an analysis of the possibility of Romania providing Ukraine with the "Patriot" air defense system, BTA reported.
At a meeting at the White House in May, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis assured US President Joe Biden that Romania would find a solution to provide a "Patriot" system. of Ukraine. At the same time, Iohannis noted that the issue should be discussed by the Supreme Council of National Defense and see what the country will get in return, because “it is unacceptable that Romania remains without air defense”.
Meanwhile, last week Romania put into operation its second missile system “Patriot“ of the total seven complexes for which the country concluded a contract in 2017 with the American arms manufacturer "Raytheon" (Raytheon) worth $3.9 billion.
According to a message from the Presidential Administration, quoted by Agerpress, among the topics on the agenda of today's meeting of the Supreme Council for National Defense are: Romania's goals for the NATO summit in 2024; the forces and assets of the Romanian army that may be provided for participation in missions and operations outside the country's territory in 2025; the stage and prospects of the conflict in Ukraine after the illegal and unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation, as well as the consequences for Romania; analysis of the possibility of transferring the long-range Patriot surface-to-air missile system to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and others.
At the G-7 meeting in Italy at the end of last week, US President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that five countries had committed to supply batteries to the Patriot. and other air defense systems.
After the meeting of Romania's Supreme National Defense Council, President Klaus Iohannis is also expected to present a position regarding his candidacy for NATO Secretary General, which he announced in March.
According to the Netherlands Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), which cited a knowledgeable source, outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will be the new NATO Secretary General, replacing Jens Stoltenberg, who is stepping down this fall. This information was announced after Hungary announced that it has no objection to Rutte becoming the head of the Alliance.
Any decision by NATO requires the unanimity of all 32 member countries of the alliance, each of which has the right of veto, including their participation in joint activities or joint military operations.