NATO Secretary-General: There is a big risk that Russia will invade Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that there is a real risk that Russia will invade Ukraine, but insisted that Romania is not alone, and the presence of NATO troops here shows how united the Alliance is.

Stoltenberg made these statements, along with President Klaus Iohannis, at Mihail Kogalniceanu Base, where soldiers from the battalion that the United States has decided to deploy from Germany to Romania continue to arrive, to strengthen NATO's eastern flank, due to tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis visited the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base together, where the first Stryker armored personnel carriers arrived, deployed by the United States military in our Romania.

1.000 soldiers are expected to arrive, to join existing American troops in Romania.

The arrival of the 1.000 American soldiers deployed in Romania is proof that the Allies are acting together in the face of aggression and that NATO intends to strengthen its presence on the eastern flank of the Alliance.

Jens Stoltenberg: This is NATO in action. North America and Europe, side by side, to defend Romania and the other allies. On the entire eastern flank of the Alliance, from here, from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea, NATO deploys additional forces. This is a defensive and necessary response to the massive mobilization of Russian troops on the borders of Ukraine. We called on Russia to de-escalate the situation and engage in dialogue with NATO. We remain ready for a political solution, but at the same time we are strong, vigilant and united.

With the arrival of the Task Force Cougar detachment, the number of American soldiers in Romania will increase to almost 2.000.

President Klaus Iohannis: I welcome the 1.000 American soldiers from the Stryker Battalion to our country. Along with these measures to strengthen the Allied presence, we support the need to continue the political-diplomatic dialogue with Russia, in order to find solutions to de-escalate the situation.

The main mission of the American detachment will be to conduct joint training missions and activities with the branches of the Romanian Army, in order to raise the level of interoperability and mutual trust.

Translated by: Radu Matei