Europe urges Trump to deploy US jets in Romania to support Ukraine

European nations are pressing President Donald Trump to deploy American fighter jets to Romania as part of US security guarantees aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Senior European military officials are discussing the stationing of F-35s at Romania’s Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase, NATO’s largest airbase in Europe, to deter potential Russian aggression, The Times writes.

The US currently conducts air policing missions over the Black Sea from the base.

Trump recently ruled out sending US boots on the ground in Ukraine but said he is open to providing “air” support. Following a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, US and European generals—including the UK, Germany, France, Finland, and Italy—met in Washington to coordinate logistics for American support.

Europe also seeks guarantees for continued access to US satellites for GPS and reconnaissance over Ukraine, as well as commitments to supply Patriot and NASAMS air defence systems. Reconnaissance flights by Britain’s RAF using Rivet Joint aircraft require American authorisation.

As part of a “coalition of the willing,” Britain has offered Typhoon fighter jets for western Ukraine and 3,000–5,000 troops to train Ukrainian forces. France, Canada, and Australia could also contribute troops. Russia has strongly opposed any Western military presence in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called NATO talks over security guarantees a “road to nowhere,” proposing that Russia and China be given veto power over Western military aid. He cited the 2022 Istanbul talks as a model, in which the five permanent UN Security Council members could block military support for Ukraine.

Lavrov also commented on a potential Putin-Zelenskyy meeting, saying Russia is “considering raising the level of delegation heads” in existing talks and emphasising that high-level summits must be carefully prepared to produce tangible results.

British Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin attended Pentagon talks and a NATO virtual meeting with defence chiefs to discuss allied support for Ukraine.

By Tamilla Hasanova