Germany to Send 4 Fighter Jets to Romania
Germany plans to deploy four Eurofighter jets to Romania at the end of the month to support NATO’s air policing mission, an anonymous source told Reuters. The move comes weeks after Russia attacked Ukrainian Danube River ports, which are just hundreds of feet away from the Romanian border....
Facts
- Germany plans to deploy four Eurofighter jets to Romania at the end of the month to support NATO’s air policing mission, an anonymous source told Reuters. The move comes weeks after Russia attacked Ukrainian Danube River ports, which are just hundreds of feet away from the Romanian border.1
- NATO has ramped up security efforts since the attacks, with Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar announcing that an investigation found Russian drone debris on Romanian soil.2
- In addition to the jets, beginning on Thursday, Berlin will send its first wave of up to 80 soldiers to a military base near the Romanian city Constanta.3
- There's no sign that Russia's strikes near the border — which NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called 'destabilizing' — were aimed at Romania or any other NATO member country.4
- Earlier this week, the Netherlands stationed five fighter jets in Romania to train Ukrainian pilots as other NATO countries ramp up their continued support of Ukraine. The US also began training Ukrainian military pilots to fly the F-16 last month.5
- NATO presence in Romania has ramped up significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including the stationing of French-led troops. Meanwhile, Bucharest has tightened its security with bomb shelters, air raid warnings, and anti-drone systems on its Ukraine border.3
Sources: 1Reuters, 2Yahoo News, 3The Kyiv Independent, 4The Straits Times and 5Defense News.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NATO. While international fatigue may be setting in as Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion drags on, Germany is standing firm in its support of NATO and Ukraine. Russia is trying to wear down Ukraine and the West, but Putin will not be able to outlast the fervent support of the alliance.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Responsible Statecraft. NATO and the US ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward and then pretended this played no role in the current conflict. NATO countries have also been sending billions of dollars over the last two years to fight a proxy war on Russia’s doorstep, yet alliance leaders call Russia’s actions “destabilizing.” It is clear who the aggressor is in this situation.
