Politics Washington approves sale of 32 modern fighter jets to Romania

The US government has approved the multi-billion dollar sale of 32 state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets to NATO partner Romania, a neighboring country of Ukraine. The US ambassador in Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, explained: "Romania is a key ally in the NATO alliance, committed to security and stability in the Black Sea region and beyond."

With the acquisition of the stealth multi-role fighter aircraft from Lockheed Martin, Romania will gain "unprecedented air defense capabilities", Kavalec continued. The first delivery is scheduled for 2031.

According to the US State Department, the deal has a total volume of 7.2 billion US dollars (6.5 billion euros). The US embassy in Bucharest spoke of 6.4 billion dollars - the reason for the different amount initially remained unclear.

Bucharest first announced its intention to purchase 32 of the fighter jets almost a year ago. According to Romanian media estimates, this is the most expensive arms purchase in the history of the armed forces.

Romania, which is also an EU member state, borders Ukraine to the north and east, which has been fighting against the aggressor Russia for a good two years. Together with Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Georgia, Turkey and Bulgaria, the country lies on the Black Sea.

SDA