NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Prime Minister of Romania, Nicolae Ciucă, to NATO headquarters on Tuesday (21 December). The Secretary General congratulated Mr. Ciucă for his appointment as Prime Minister. He praised Romania’s contributions to the Alliance, including for playing an essential role in the Black Sea region. Mr. Stoltenberg also welcomed Romania’s efforts to help build stability in the Western Balkans, and its support to NATO’s partners, including to Moldova and Ukraine.
The two leaders discussed Russia’s military build-up in and around Ukraine. The Secretary General underlined that, “despite international calls for transparency and de-escalation, the build-up continues”. He said: “We have made clear that any further aggression against Ukraine would carry a very high price. We will also continue to support our close partner Ukraine, politically and practically. And we stand up for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and we stand also for Ukraine’s right to choose its own path”.
The Secretary General also said that NATO remains ready for meaningful dialogue with Russia and expressed his intention to call a new meeting of NATO-Russia Council early next year. He added that any dialogue would need to be based on the core principles of European security and that it would need to take place in consultation with NATO’s European partners, including Ukraine.