Romania weighs allowing US aircraft to use key military base

Nicusor Dan, the president of Romania, has convened a meeting of the country’s top defence council to discuss a request from the United States to allow American aircraft to use Romanian military bases in support of operations linked to the conflict involving Tehran, as per Romanian media.

Political sources say the meeting, the first of the year, focused on national security and will assess the implications of escalating tensions in the Middle East.

At the centre of the discussions is a US request to use the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, a key military facility in Romania that has previously hosted American forces.

The deliberations come as several European countries increase their military activity in response to regional tensions. According to political insiders, some European Union members have deployed naval assets, while others have allowed their military infrastructure to be used for allied operations.

Countries including France, Greece and Italy have sent warships to the area around Cyprus after drones described as Iranian-made struck a British military base on the island. Other nations have permitted the use of their military bases for allied activities.

Most senior officials across the European Union have condemned Iranian strikes in the region and called for an end to the fighting as well as a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

The discussions in Romania also come after changes in the US military presence in the country. Last year, Washington withdrew about 1,000 troops from the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base as part of a broader shift in focus toward domestic priorities and the Indo-Pacific region. Around 1,000 US troops remain stationed in Romania.

Overall, the permanent allied presence in Romania currently stands at roughly 3,500 NATO troops, including American personnel.

Romania’s strategic importance has also been underscored by the war in neighbouring Ukraine. The country shares a 650-kilometre (400-mile) land border with Ukraine, across which Russian drones have flown toward Kyiv, while naval mines in the Black Sea linked to the conflict have disrupted important trade and energy routes.

By Tamilla Hasanova