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Nicușor Dan’s adviser called, on CNN, for a stronger American military presence in Romania

Gabriel Dumitrache

30 October 2026, 12:44

Current Affairs

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The presidential adviser for national security, Marius Lazurca, stated in an interview with CNN, in Washington, that Romania supports strengthening the American military presence on its territory, amid the deterioration of the security situation in the Black Sea region.

Lazurca said that Romania is increasingly capable of defending its NATO border, but still needs the support of its allies, especially the United States. He described the security situation as “very serious” and claimed that more than 600 vessels had been hit in the Black Sea, while over 115 drones had violated Romanian airspace.

The Romanian official said that he was in the American capital for discussions with US representatives about developments in the region. According to him, the dialogue was “warm and cordial,” and Romania hopes for favorable results for both states and for the Western alliance.

Asked about the influence of the American legislative elections on military cooperation, Lazurca said that Bucharest is satisfied with the current collaboration and confident in its continuity. He acknowledged that the measures taken so far had not been sufficiently deterrent, but emphasized that the allies are constantly adapting their response and sending modern military capabilities to Romania. The adviser also cited a survey according to which 72% of Romanians support strengthening the relationship with the United States.

Context: Before the discussions in Washington, Romania repeatedly requested allied support for the Black Sea and intensified dialogue with its partners

Previously, presidential adviser Marius Lazurcă announced that he would visit Turkey, at the direction of President Nicușor Dan, for talks with senior officials, while security in the Black Sea area was listed as a priority topic. At the same time, Nicușor Dan stated that Romania wanted a more substantial American military presence on the country's territory and linked the request to the fact that it is directly affected by the war in Ukraine through drones and sea mines in the Black Sea.

At the same time, Romanian authorities requested concrete measures within NATO to deal with drone incidents and attacks on vessels, including counter-drone, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, as well as an adapted NATO posture in the region. Defense Minister Radu Miruță also called for a greater allied presence in the Black Sea and stated that Romania must respond diplomatically to drone incursions into its airspace.