Direct Russian attack against NATO states “unlikely in short term,” Romanian president says
A direct Russian attack against a NATO state is unlikely in the short term, but European allies must be prepared for any scenario, president Nicușor Dan told CNN on Tuesday, September 22, during his visit to the United States.
Radu Dumitrescu · Journalist
· 2 min read
Nicușor Dan explained that unlike the period before the invasion of Ukraine, European leaders are now treating the Russian threat more seriously.
“Nobody thought, if you asked in 2020 or 2021, that Russia would attack Ukraine and try to conquer Kyiv,” he said on The Brief with Jim Sciutto.
Compared to then, European leaders have increased defense spending. While a direct attack is not likely, hybrid operations are a distinct reality, Dan argued.
In his view, the entry of Russian drones into the airspace of NATO states is not an intentional action. Romania experienced many such entries. On May 29, 2026, a Russian drone hit a residential building in Galați and injured two people. Several drones have also made incursions into Romanian airspace in recent months.
“In the case of the drones, I would say that they are not intentional. But as regards disinformation, hybrid attacks, attacks on critical infrastructure, submarine or land-based, sabotage, I think they are trying to do two things: undermine people’s, citizens’ trust in the authorities and undermine the support of European countries for Ukraine," he said.
During the same interview, the Romanian president said that the United States has disproportionately provided for or contributed to the defense of Europe for a long time. “President Trump is right: we need to rebalance this contribution,” the president said.
The president also spoke about the importance of maintaining a strong US military presence in Europe. There are currently approximately 1,500 US troops in Romania, while a rotating contingent of approximately 500 troops that operated in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary was withdrawn, the head of state said.
“I think it would be a good signal to have a proportional redistribution of US troops within Europe,” Nicușor Dan said.
The US military presence near the Black Sea and the Mediterranean represents “a benefit for the United States,” he added.
Nicușor Dan acknowledged in the CNN interview that Romania is not yet fully prepared for the scale of this new type of threat.
“The phenomenon of drones is new, and we had the same problem as everyone else. We have made some improvements, and the United States has helped us with radar equipment and equipment to shoot them down,” the president said. “We are not completely prepared, but we have made these improvements,” he added.
