Russia warns Romania over building "largest NATO military base" in Europe

Russian politicians and diplomats have reacted with threats to reports that Romania is building the largest NATO military base in Europe - a EUR 2.5 billion project initiated by Romania in 2019 and expected to take 20 years to complete.

The expansion of Romania's 57 Mihail Kogalniceanu air base on the Black Sea coast, which the Russian officials commented on, is supposed to consolidate NATO's eastern flank. However, it is important to note the long-term calendar of the project and the fact that it was initiated long before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with the Middle East to be covered from the base as well.

As part of a series of warnings from Russian officials on March 18 and 19, vice president of the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Council of the Russian Federation, Andrei Klimov, said the project represents a "threat for Bucharest."

According to Klimov, the larger the "anti-Russian" military base and the "closer it is to Russia's borders, the more likely it is to be among the first targets for retaliatory strikes.”

"If the Romanians like it, it's their business, of course, but the NATO suicide club drags ordinary civilians into such adventures that can end very badly for their families and children. I'm not trying to scare anyone, I'm just reasoning logically. There won't be any benefit for Romania from this, and there will be more threats, this is a fact," said the senator in a discussion reported by Russian media.

The development of the largest NATO base in Europe, at Constanta in Romania, is a continuation of the "erosion" of security in the Black Sea region, Konstantin Gavrilov, the head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna negotiations on military security and arms control, told RIA Novosti quoted by Radio Romania, Stiripesurse.ro reported.

In 2019, Romania's executive approved a project to expand Air Base 57 Mihail Kogalniceanu, which has been used by US forces since 1999, according to Defenseromania.ro.

The project will be financed from the national budget in several stages, out of which the first was awarded to contractors in 2022, started last year, and will end in 2030.

With a planned capacity of 10,000 military, the air base would still be less than one-fifth of the size of the Ramstein base in Germany but would be one of the largest in Eastern Europe.