NATO announced today, Friday, that it will transfer a number of reconnaissance aircraft stationed in Germany to Romania, where they will be closer to Ukraine.
The alliance said - in a statement - that the planes will arrive in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, next Tuesday, in order to reinforce NATO's presence and "monitor Russian military activities."
During the following weeks @NATO AWACS will be deployed to #Romania, reinforcing our Alliance's deterrence & defense on the #EasternFlank.
#Romania is ready to host these key early warning capabilities of #NATO.
More👉 https://t.co/yYgL4Jr7l5 pic.twitter.com/GKvmvKtIt8
— Dan Neculaescu (@DanNeculaescu) January 13, 2023
NATO explained that the AWACS early warning and control aircraft will be stationed at a base near Bucharest, about 200 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, and are scheduled to stay there for several weeks.
"While Russia's illegal war in Ukraine continues to threaten peace and security in Europe, NATO will protect and defend every inch of allied territory," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said.
#NATO is deploying Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance planes ✈️👁️ to #Romania 🇷🇴 The aircraft will support the Alliance's reinforced presence in the region & monitor Russian military activity
ℹ️: https://t.co/DJ9ftBfrlX pic. twitter.com/LuQxlr8zPq
— Oana Lungescu (@NATOpress) January 13, 2023
She also indicated that the aircraft can monitor hundreds of kilometers away, which makes it one of the main capabilities in NATO's deterrence and defensive positioning.
It should be noted that the European Union and NATO signed last Wednesday a pledge to strengthen cooperation between the two sides to confront the Russian war in Ukraine.