Romania is still not fully prepared for the threat posed by drones, although it has improved its response capabilities, President Nicusor Dan said in an interview with journalist Jim Sciutto for CNN International's 'The Brief with Jim Sciutto' broadcast on Tuesday evening.

When asked whether Romania's response to that threat was sufficient, President Dan explained that the drone phenomenon is new and Romania had the same problem as other states, however, he mentioned that improvements had been made and that the US supported Romania with equipment to detect and shoot down drones.

Nicusor Dan also talked about Romania's diplomatic response following an incident in which two people were injured in a town in Romania, 10 kilometers from the border. He mentioned the closure of a Russian consulate near the Black Sea and said he believes the measure was a proportionate response.

Asked what Russia is seeking to achieve by expanding its hybrid warfare, Nicusor Dan said that, in the case of drones, he does not consider them to be necessarily intentional, while, regarding disinformation, attacks on the critical infrastructure and acts of sabotage, he said Russia is seeking to undermine citizens' trust in the authorities and European countries' support towards Ukraine.

Asked how likely Russia is to directly attack a NATO member state, Nicusor Dan said he did not consider such a scenario very probable in the next one or two years, but underscored that countries must be prepared, bringing to mind that in 2020 and 2021 few people would have expected Russia to attack Ukraine and attempt to conquer Kyiv.

Moreover, Romania's president underscored that European leaders now understand the threat, are increasing the expenses for defence, cooperating more and recognising the need to rebalance Europe's and America's contributions to defence.

Regarding the reduction in US troop numbers in Europe, Nicusor Dan brought to mind that Romania had around 1,500 US troops, 500 of whom were part of a rotational troop in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, and that those 500 troops had been withdrawn. Asked whether the withdrawal could encourage Russia to act more aggressively and whether Donald Trump is open to a larger US presence, the Romanian president said it would be a good signal to have proportional displacement of American troops inside Europe. He argued that the presence of US troops near the Black Sea, as well as in close to the Middle East and the Mediterranean area, is also a benefit for the United States.

Asked to comment on doubts expressed by some German officials about Washington's willingness to defend Europe in the event of a Russian attack, the Romanian president said that, for a long time, the United States had contributed to Europe's defence, while Europe's contribution had not been proportional, including in economic terms. Nicusor Dan said Donald Trump was right to speak about the need to rebalance this contribution and noted that the US president had reaffirmed his commitment to Article 5 of NATO at the Ankara Summit.

In respect to the support for Ukraine, Nicusor Dan said that Romania is contributing to the defence effort, aiding refugees and ensuring the transit of Ukrainian grain, as Ukraine can no longer use its ports. Asked what else Europe and NATO could do given the lack of air defence systems, he pointed to the issue of anti-ballistic interceptor production and said that countries had not been prepared for the scale of this need.

Regarding the possibility of NATO shooting down Russian drones over Ukraine, following incidents in which such aircraft entered the airspace of member states, Nicusor Dan explained that, as he understood it, international rules could consider such an intervention an act of co-belligerence, mentioning that this is the answer he received when discussing the possibility of such an intervention with military representatives.

In respect to a possible negotiation to end the war, the Romanian president said that, at the moment, he does not believe Moscow is willing to negotiate, adding that the support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia must continue and argued that the Russian economy is suffering. At the same time, he quoted polls according to which the Russian society is increasingly expressing opposition to the war, saying that the share of those who no longer support the war had risen from 40% to 60%. He concluded by underscoring that Ukraine is an independent state that was attacked and must be supported.

The CNN interview was conducted in New York, where Nicusor Dan is attending meetings of the UN General Assembly. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Mariana Ionescu; EN - writing by: Rodica State)

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