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Weekend Reads
Russia has repeatedly violated North Atlantic Treaty Organization airspace in recent months, heightening tensions between Moscow and the West. In particular, Russia has targeted Romania, a steadfast NATO ally in the crucial Black Sea region.
Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Oana-Silvia Țoiu joined Peter Rough to discuss Black Sea security, the war in Ukraine, Russia’s hybrid attacks, and Romania’s importance to European energy security.
Watch the event, listen to the podcast, or read the transcript here.
Key Insights
1. Romania is working to rebuild the European defense industrial base.
“We have just recently signed an agreement with Rheinmetall for what will be one of the most modern gunpowder factories in Europe. My colleague, Minister of Economy Radu Miruță, has finalized these negotiations, and that is an important project for us. . . . My colleague, the Minister of Defense Ionuț Moșteanu, has been in bilateral meetings in Ukraine, and we now have a common proposal [whereby] drones can be produced in Romania with common technology. . . . We’re looking at potential partnerships with the United States in this direction as well in the private sphere. So these are very important areas of development.”
2. Black Sea security is vital to the transatlantic economy.
“I think it is very clear that we have a common objective, not just as NATO, but as countries around the Black Sea, that we keep it safe, that we keep the commercial lines open. And also there are elements that are maybe not always so obvious, but are very important . . . for example, the undersea cable protection and all these aspects of security that we need to be more mindful of.”
3. Increased Romanian natural gas exports will bolster European energy security.
“Romania is currently the main natural gas producer from the European Union, and that is a role that we want to increase. The natural gas resources from the Black Sea are actually the main resource that would allow us to do that. In our estimation, the increase of the resources that we can provide to Romania, to our neighbors, to the energy market can even be almost doubled by 2027 or even later on, depending on the speed at which that is happening.”
Quotes may be edited for clarity and length.
Go Deeper
Concurrent with the World Bank–International Monetary Fund annual meetings in Washington, DC, Hudson will host a high-level discussion on Southeastern European economics and security.
Before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Matthew Boyse testified on how the US can defend its national interests in the Black Sea region. His testimony expanded on his coauthored 2024 report The Battle for the Black Sea Is Not Over, which lays out a plan of action for Washington to improve regional security and hamper Russia’s war effort.
President Donald Trump was instrumental in brokering a deal to end the decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In a new policy memo, Luke Coffey explains the significance of this deal and identifies three challenges that remain for lasting peace.
