Nicușor Dan, further explanations, in an interview for Bloomberg, about the drone incidents in the Black Sea

President Nicușor Dan stated in an interview with Bloomberg on Friday morning that Romania cannot technically confirm at this time the Russian origin of the drones involved in the incidents targeting vessels in the Black Sea. However, the head of state specified that hundreds of drones that had previously crossed Romanian territory from the Danube border with Ukraine contained Russian components.

According to the president, the drones that reached the Black Sea attacked a maritime corridor used by Ukraine to transport goods to the Bosphorus and other regions. He argued that there is no legitimate reason to attack this route.

“But what we can say about those drones that reached the water is that they are attacking a maritime corridor used by the Ukrainians to transport their goods toward the Bosphorus, toward other parts of the world. So it is, in fact, a corridor used by the Ukrainians, and there is no reason for anyone else to attack it,” said the President of Romania.

Nicușor Dan placed the incident in a broader context of pressure exerted by Russia on European states, mentioning events in Estonia, the Baltic Sea region, and Poland. In his view, Moscow’s objective is to create tensions within European societies and reduce support for Ukraine.

The president announced that Romania will again request NATO allies’ support to protect its territory and coastline until the arrival of the military equipment purchased through the European SAFE program. He reaffirmed support for Ukraine during the war and throughout the reconstruction period, viewing this support as a security matter for Europe.

Regarding relations with the United States, Nicușor Dan said that Romania has a long-standing strategic partnership and that bilateral relations are very good.

We recall that on Thursday morning, aerial drones struck the commercial vessel Wine Trader, flying the flag of San Marino, near Sulina, and the president stated that Romania will issue an official response after the facts have been clarified.