NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă to NATO’s headquarters on Wednesday to address Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and the implications for security in the Black Sea region.
Mr Stoltenberg emphasized that NATO is reinforcing its presence from the Black to the Baltic Sea, including with fighter jets from Canada, and thousands of French, Belgian, Dutch and American troops.
He stressed that this sends a clear message that “NATO is ready to defend Romania and all other Allies.”
Addressing Moscow’s claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a radiological “dirty bomb” on its own territory, the Secretary General described it as “absurd.”
“Allies reject this blatantly false accusation, and Russia must not use false pretexts to escalate the war even further.”
He made clear that “NATO will not be intimidated or deterred from supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defense – for as long as it takes.”
He also said that Russia’s war on Ukraine “has turned parts of the Black Sea into a warzone”, and urged Russia “to renew the UN grain deal brokered by Turkey,” so that food continues to reach those in need.
The Secretary General thanked Romania for its important contributions to shared security “at this pivotal time.”
Romania invests 2% of GDP on defense, hosts one of NATO’s new multinational battlegroups, established after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. It is also a key site for NATO’s ballistic missile defense.
The meeting with Mr Ciuca came ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers that will take place in the Romanian capital Bucharest next month.
