The foreign ministers of France, the Netherlands and Romania on Friday signed an agreement to strengthen ties between the three NATO member nations amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Earlier Friday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra and Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Auresu visited the military base in Cincu, central Romamia. France and the Netherlands both have troops in the battlegroup, which was strengthened in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Romania’s neighbor.
“Russia is waging war in a way we haven’t seen in decades, and therefore we cannot let our guard down — we need to step up our efforts,” Hoekstra said in Cincu.
Hoekstra, who also held talks with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday, called for “heavier sanctions on those responsible for facilitating the Russian war effort.”
Colonna said France will support Ukraine for “as long as needed” and blasted Moscow for striking civilian targets “with the stated criminal aim of turning winter into a weapon of war.”
NATO bolstered its presence on Europe’s eastern flank in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. It sent additional multinational battlegroups to alliance members Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia.
The ministers also discussed Romania’s ongoing efforts to join the Schengen Area, Europe’s passport-free travel zone, after it was blocked from joining in December.
