The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of dozens of F-35 fighter jets to NATO ally Romania, a deal worth $7.2 billion.
The contract, which needs to be approved by the US Congress, covers the Romanian government’s purchase of 32 F-35A aircraft and related equipment, produced by the US aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is an important force for political and economic stability in Europe,” a State Department statement on Friday said.
The contract announcement comes as Ukrainian pilots started training this week this week at a special center in Romania on F-16s, US-made fighter jets that Washington has approved Kyiv to use to fight off Russia’s invasion.
Romania occupies a strategic position on the Black Sea and neighboring Ukraine, and its goal is to become an international hub for F-16 training.
It inaugurated an F-16 training center at its Fetesti air base eastern Romania in November 2023, where it pledged to train Ukrainians.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Romanian counterpart Luminita Odobescu on Sept. 12 and thanked Bucharest for delivering a Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine.
