Romania Wants US to Send More Troops to Black Sea Region

Romania's foreign minister asked Antony Blinken to consider the idea

On Tuesday, Romania’s foreign minister said he asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken for the US to consider sending more troops to Romania and elsewhere in the Black Sea region.

“We have discussed about the importance of increasing the US presence in the region and in Romania,” Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu told the Atlantic Council.

Plans to increase the US military footprint in Romania are already in the works. In May, the US Air Force was awarded $152 million to make upgrades at the Campia Turzii air base in Romania. The US sent 90 airmen and a fleet of MQ-9 Reaper drones earlier in the year.

Aurescu met with Blinken on Monday, and the State Department said in a readout that Blinken “praised Romania as a stalwart NATO Ally and both agreed to collaborate on Black Sea security issues.”

The US and NATO have increased their presence in the Black Sea in recent years, stoking tensions with Russia. Last week, the US sent two warships into the sensitive waters to operate alongside NATO allies. Russia responded by practicing firing its coastal missile defense system on mock enemy targets.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently visited the region, making stops in Romania, Ukraine, and Georgia. In Ukraine and Georgia, Austin signaled that the door was still open for the two countries to eventually join NATO.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.