BUCHAREST/PARIS — Romania has asked NATO allies to bolster air-defence and surveillance capabilities along the alliance’s eastern flank after a drone, which Bucharest says was Russian, crashed into a residential building in the border city of Galați and injured two civilians.
Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu said Wednesday that the episode would speed up existing talks with NATO on improving radars, fighter coverage and anti-drone systems. Romania presented allies with a detailed list of capability needs before the incident, she added.
Allies are examining ways to supplement Romania’s current air-monitoring network along its roughly 650-kilometre frontier with Ukraine. Potential measures include additional aircraft contributions to NATO’s air policing mission and expanded radar coverage to detect low-flying unmanned aerial vehicles, Țoiu said.
France, which leads NATO’s battlegroup in Romania with about 1,400 troops, is in discussions to provide enhanced radar and air-monitoring support. Britain, Italy and Spain have indicated readiness to increase their contributions to regional air-defence operations. The United States could offer specialised radar and surveillance systems rather than large troop deployments, she added.
Romanian officials describe the allied measures as an interim solution while Bucharest carries out a broader defence modernisation. The government has earmarked about €2 billion to upgrade its air-defence and monitoring infrastructure over coming years but expects to rely on partners in the near term to close capability gaps.
Țoiu said Romania had found no evidence the drone’s incursion was deliberate but held Moscow responsible for the breach. Bucharest is also exploring private-sector anti-drone technologies and a planned €200 million joint project with Ukraine to produce counter-drone systems aimed at addressing the proliferation of low-cost aerial threats used in the conflict.