NATO will strengthen its air defences on its eastern flank due to the threat from Russia
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Cioiu has stated that several NATO allies are preparing to bolster air defence capabilities on the Alliance’s eastern flank following an incident involving a Russian drone that crashed within the country’s territory, Reuters reports.
During a visit to Paris, she noted that the incident would accelerate the cooperation already underway with NATO to strengthen surveillance and response systems. This primarily concerns radars, fighter aircraft and anti-drone technologies.
According to Oana Cioiu, Bucharest had already provided NATO with a detailed list of security requirements prior to the incident. As part of these plans, the allies are assessing options for strengthening Romania’s existing airspace monitoring and air defence systems, particularly along the 650-kilometre border with Ukraine.
Possible measures under consideration include the deployment of additional allied resources, notably aircraft participating in NATO’s air patrol mission, as well as the expansion of radar coverage to detect low-flying drones.
France, which leads a NATO battlegroup in Romania comprising around 1,400 troops, is discussing providing additional support in the areas of radar systems and airspace monitoring. The UK, Italy and Spain have also expressed their readiness to step up their contribution to air defence measures.
Oana Cioiu noted that the United States could provide specialised capabilities in the field of radar control and surveillance, rather than increasing its military presence.
According to her, there is a shared understanding among allies of the need to strengthen NATO’s entire eastern flank, not just Romania. This issue is also being discussed with the Baltic states and other countries in the region.
In Bucharest, officials emphasise that such steps will serve as a temporary solution until the completion of a large-scale modernisation of their own defence system. Romania plans to allocate around €2 billion to upgrade its air defence and surveillance systems over the coming years.
Last week, a Russian-made drone that entered Romanian airspace crashed into a residential building in the city of Galați, near the Ukrainian border. Two civilians were injured as a result of the incident.
The Romanian side stated that it has no evidence of the incident being deliberate, but holds Russia responsible for the violation of its airspace.
In addition, Oana Țoiu reported that Romania is working on private projects to develop counter-drone measures, and is also implementing a €200 million joint plan with Ukraine to build a production facility for systems to counter low-cost aerial threats, which are increasingly being used in warfare.
