Romania seeks stronger US military presence, citing 115 drones in its airspace

Washington talks

Marius Lazurca, Romania's presidential adviser on national security, held talks in Washington with several senior US officials. In a post on X, he listed Elbridge Colby, the under secretary of defense, Allison Hooker, the under secretary of state for political affairs, Thomas DiNanno, the under secretary of state for arms control and international security, and Dan Holler, an adviser to the US secretary of state. He also said he had met members of Congress, research institutes and the press. DiNanno responded on X that the meeting with Lazurca was excellent, as the two countries mark 30 years of strategic partnership, and he described Romania as one of the most trusted allies on NATO's eastern flank. Lazurca's own post called Romania an indispensable ally of the United States in the Black Sea region.

Black Sea threats

In an interview with CNN given in Washington and reported on 30 October, Lazurca argued that Romania needs more American backing on its territory. He said the country depends on help from all its allies and especially from the United States.

“We know we need the help of all our allies and, especially, of the United States. For this reason, we advocate a stronger American military presence in Romania.”

Lazurca said he had seen reporting on the serious situation in Kyiv and that Romania faces a similar situation in the Black Sea, given the intensity of Russian attacks there. He stated that more than 600 vessels have been struck in the Black Sea so far and that more than 115 drones have violated Romanian airspace. He described the security situation as very serious, while saying Romania is becoming stronger by the day and is capable of shooting down some of the drones and defending the border of the North Atlantic Alliance.

NATO response

Asked whether the NATO response to these incidents had been sufficient, Lazurca admitted that there was room for improvement. He pointed to a situation that keeps changing, with allies trying to adapt to circumstances that shift constantly.

“There is room for improvement, but we are glad allies have expressed solidarity and many of them have sent new, modern military capabilities to Romania.”

Earlier in the same exchange, he conceded that the measures taken so far had not proven sufficiently deterrent. He added that Romania can build deterrence in the Black Sea region through its own efforts, but also through allied solidarity, especially that of the United States.

Midterms and bilateral ties

Asked whether a Democratic takeover of the House and possibly the Senate would improve Romania's chances of the security cooperation it wants, Lazurca said Bucharest had no reason to complain about current cooperation. He said he was confident the relationship with Washington would keep working in future as it has so far. He described the dialogue in Washington as ongoing, warm and cordial, and expressed hope that its outcome would be positive for Romania, the United States and the wider Western world. He also cited a poll showing that 72% of Romanians want closer EU-US relations. The US midterm elections are scheduled for 3 November.