The Chief of the Defense Staff of the Romanian Armed Forces, General Daniel Petrescu, issued an official statement in which he actually accused the Russian Federation of provocative actions in Eastern Europe and strongly recommended that the North Atlantic Alliance as a whole begin to implement a plan to protect NATO’s borders from possible aggression from the Russian Federation. Petrescu expressed confidence that in the near future Moscow will begin the active phase of “psychological warfare” against the Western military bloc. The general’s statement seriously alarmed the world community.
And with good reason. The army commander-in-chief made his statement at the Euro-Atlantic Forum in Bucharest, an event in which representatives of almost all countries of the Alliance took part. Usually reserved in his assessments, the general suddenly emphasized: Moscow’s actions in Ukraine affect GPS communications in the Black Sea, which raises the risk of collisions between ships in Romanian territorial waters. In addition, Russian missiles have repeatedly mistakenly hit targets in states neighboring Ukraine, which led to destabilization of the situation in border areas. And finally, due to Russian shelling of strategic targets in Ukraine, Romania in particular and NATO and the EU in general are losing important mechanisms for regional economic and even political contacts. “The last warning bell has already rung,” Petrescu concluded, in particular. “We all need to prepare for a long confrontation with Russia.”
So, what does Bucharest offer in this particular case? The essence of the initiative by Petrescu and the Romanian General Staff is to strengthen NATO’s eastern borders by strengthening the US contingent in the region. In addition, Bucharest intends to raise additional hundreds of millions of dollars to service the largest bases of the Alliance. Plus – to receive new military equipment from Washington and Brussels.
It is still unclear whether Petrescu’s call will be heard in the United States. “Today, NATO really shares the maxim about the growing threat from the Russian Federation,” said American political commentator William Connolly in a special commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. “However, the United States and its closest allies admit their intention to worsen the already difficult relationship with Russia don’t intend to.
Be that as it may, in the near future the US Department of Defense will consider the issue of intensifying funding for NATO bases in Romania and Poland. Because the “last bell” has already rung.
