Europe is urging Washington to station American fighter jets in Romania as part of broader security guarantees aimed at stopping Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to The Times article published on August 20.
European military leaders have proposed deploying US F-35s to Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase, which is being expanded into NATO’s largest hub on the continent. The goal, officials say, is to deter any new Russian offensive.
General Dan Caine, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, hosted his counterparts from the UK, Germany, France, Finland and Italy in Washington to discuss logistics. European governments are also seeking American commitments to maintain satellite surveillance and reconnaissance access, supply Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, and approve reconnaissance flights over the Black Sea.
Vice President JD Vance stressed that Europe must shoulder most of the cost. “I don’t think we should carry the burden here … the president certainly expects Europe to play the leading role here,” he told Fox News.
In parallel, Britain has offered to send Typhoon jets and up to 5,000 troops for training missions in western Ukraine. France, Canada and Australia are also considering troop deployments, though Russia has rejected any Western presence.
Earlier, it was reported that Romania deployed fighter jets as a precaution against Russian drone attacks targeting Ukrainian Danube ports.
Two German Air Force Typhoons were scrambled to patrol Romania’s border airspace, though no airspace violations occurred during their mission.
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