Oana Țoiu warns that one of the security risks following the end of the war in Ukraine is that Russian military might try to reach Europe. The head of Romanian diplomacy, in this context, calls for the strengthening of the Eastern Flank of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Oana Țoiu mentioned that NATO is being tested by Russia with hybrid interferences. At the same time, the official mentioned the progress that Romania has made to strengthen its defense.
“We are one of the countries that respects the commitments made in The Hague, we exceeded 3.2% in budget allocation last year, both direct budget allocation for military expenses and investments for related infrastructure, and we have a good relationship with the USA, including from the perspective of the decision that Romania made to allow access to military bases on Romanian territory with an exclusively defensive role, because NATO is a defensive alliance, the strongest defensive alliance in the world,” Oana Țoiu stated in an interview given for Antena3.
The Minister believes that NATO leaders need strategic planning, implemented gradually. In his opinion, the security risks for the eastern flank are significant, in the context of hybrid threats.
“Romania has had over 40 such moments, where fragments or drones have reached the country’s territory. Even if this happens as a result of the war in Ukraine, the impact on the risks on the Eastern Flank is significant. We return to basic principles: reaffirming collective defense and increasing our defense capacity, so that NATO is not tested,” said Țoiu.
At the same time, the head of the MAE in Bucharest conveyed to the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, that Romania supports the need to protect the borders of the countries on the Eastern Flank during peace negotiations and after a potential armistice in Ukraine.
“There is a significant risk that Russian soldiers, now present on Ukrainian territory, may try to test the border and attempt to reach European territory to continue their private lives in a civilization and economy that ensures them a much better standard of living than they could have in Russia,” said Țoiu, while revealing details about the discussion with Rubio.