On Monday (18 November 2024), Secretary General Mark Rutte met with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu at NATO headquarters to discuss security in the Black Sea region.
Mr. Rutte thanked Prime Minister Ciolacu for Romania's numerous contributions to the Alliance. Romania invests more than 2% of its GDP on defence, hosts a NATO multinational battlegroup, and contributes troops to NATO missions in Kosovo and Iraq.
The Secretary General said Romania has been "a firm friend of Ukraine" providing critical military aid, including a Patriot air defence system, and signing a 10-year bilateral security agreement.
The Secretary General condemned the violations of NATO airspace by Russian drones and missiles, saying they "are reckless, are dangerous, and are unacceptable," and adding that "NATO has reinforced its air defences on its eastern flank, and Allies, as we speak, are acquiring hundreds of fifth generation fighter jets."
