The risks Romania faces come from its geopolitical position, as it is located close to Russia, and not from hosting NATO’s antimissile system, said Deborah Lee James, US Secretary of the Air Force.

“Romania’s biggest risk factor is that it is located in a difficult region. It is very close to Ukraine, which has been invaded, and Russia builds military capacities in Crimea,” she added, reports local Mediafax.

Romania will increase its defense budget to 2% of the GDP in the next years, according to Lee James, who said that she received assurances from the Romanian officials during her visit to Romania.

“The United States have made a big commitment not only in the favor of the North-Atlantic Alliance, but also in the relationship with Romania,” said the US Secretary of the Air Force.

Vladimir Putin has recently warned that Russia would consolidate its strategic nuclear capacities as a reaction to the antimissile systems installed by the US in Eastern Europe.

editor@romania-insider.com