Romania plans defensive drone production with Ukraine to protect NATO's east

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A Ukrainian border guard launches a drone he uses to survey the border to Romania in Tyachiv, September 26, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

By Tom Balmforth

UNITED NATIONS  -  Romania hopes to quickly set up production on its territory of defensive drones with Ukraine for domestic use as well as by European Union and NATO allies, Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said in an interview.  

Toiu told Reuters talks with Ukraine began before a spate of airspace incursions that the region has blamed on Russia in recent weeks.

"We believe it is strategic for the eastern flank to be better protected, especially in air defence. So what we are doing in that direction is to create the partnerships needed, for example, with Ukraine to build defensive drones for the future," she said.

"We believe in our capacity to make it a reality fast," she said on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly that ended on Monday. 

Tensions with Moscow edged up in recent weeks as Estonia accused Russia of sending fighter jets into its airspace and NATO jets shot down drones over Poland. Romania also said its jets almost engaged a drone that entered its airspace. 

Russia has said it has never targeted EU or NATO nations and has no plans to do so in the future. 

'DRONE WALL' 

Her remarks about joint production come as Ukraine has moved to relax restrictions on exporting its weapons, which it has used and honed on the battlefield against Russia. 

Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskiy touted these weapons as he addressed the U.N. General Assembly last week, in an effort to shore up allied support and show that supporting close ties with Kyiv is a two-way street.        

The European Union has backed the idea of creating a "drone wall" to shield the region. 

APPROVAL FOR U.S. TROOPS

Toiu also said that Romania had approved an increased U.S. troop presence on its territory to support Middle East refuelling operations, though she declined to provide numbers.     

Since Trump's return to power, European allies have been concerned about potential cuts to around 80,000 U.S. troops in Europe as their worries about the threat from Russia mount. 

Romania, which borders Ukraine, hosts a number of U.S. troops and plans to invest more than 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) into its Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in the coming years, expanding its capacity to accommodate 10,000 Romanian and allied troops. 

Romania has decided to allow an increased U.S. presence in its NATO military bases, she said, noting air refueling could be necessary "in the case of a reaction needed in the volatile Middle East."     

The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment about its plans. 

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(Reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Alexandra Hudson // REUTERS)