High-level meetings and consolidated commitments to defence, in Brussels

On Thursday, February 12th, Minister of National Defence, Radu Miruță, participated in the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence, held at the Alliance Headquarters, in Brussels.

During the talks, the minister consistently supported the fact that Romania's defence industry must be integrated into international production and cooperation chains, as part of the consolidation of the Euro-Atlantic industrial base.

Our country has initiated, in this regard, concrete steps to ramp up domestic industrial capacities by using European instruments, such as SAFE. Thus, resources have been allocated to relaunch the activity of some domestic armament factories in order to build partnerships with technology companies, jointly manufacture equipment necessary to the Romanian Armed Forces and restore strategic industrial skills.

The ministerial meeting agenda included two sessions - the North Atlantic Council (NAC), dedicated to deterrence and collective defence, and the NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC), with the participation of Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

During the North Atlantic Council session, ministers analyzed the implementation status of the commitments undertaken at the NATO Summit in The Hague in 2025, and measures to strengthen the allied defence posture.

Minister Miruță reaffirmed Romania's commitment to gradually increase the defence budget until 2035, highlighting the estimated allocation of 2.7% of GDP for this year.

"Romania remains a responsible and committed ally. We support the gradual increase of defence budgets and the consolidation of the European and Euro-Atlantic industrial base. Investments in industry and in modern, interoperable capabilities are essential for collective defence and for our role within the Alliance," the Minister of National Defence declared.

The debates highlighted the need to accelerate the development of modern technologies and achieve the capability targets, as well as the role of defence investments in revitalizing national industries and creating jobs, thus contributing to economic and technological resilience.

The strategic importance of the Black Sea region for Euro-Atlantic security was also emphasized. In this regard, the minister highlighted the need to consolidate the allied presence and develop initiatives dedicated to the Eastern Flank.

"The strengthening of the allied presence and the development of initiatives such as Eastern Sentry are essential for strengthening the deterrence and defence posture on the Eastern Flank and for ensuring long-term stability," Minister Miruță stressed.

Within the NATO-Ukraine Council, the discussions focused on coordinating Allied support for Ukraine, the participating states reaffirming the direct link between its security and the stability of the Eastern Flank.

As part of the meeting, the Romanian official participated in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) Meeting, where he highlighted Romania's constant contribution both within multinational initiatives and through bilateral approaches, as well as the importance of predictable long-term support.

The Minister of National Defence also participated in the signing ceremony of the Letter of Intent (LOI) on multinational approaches to military airworthiness in crisis or conflict situations, an initiative aimed at increasing the interoperability, resilience and readiness level of the participating air forces.

The Press Office