Romania must make massive investments in strengthening its navy, as it is 'the only force at this moment that can keep the Russians somewhat in check,' security expert Iulian Fota said. The former official served as a presidential adviser on national security matters. [1]
Iulian Fota accused PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu of bearing political responsibility for the weakness of the Romanian Navy. 'If that irresponsible guy Grindeanu hadn't cancelled the contract with Damen, we would have had some modern corvettes with significant capabilities, at least two, if not three. They would be operationally deployed by now!' he stated. [1]
According to Fota, equipping the Navy should also include anti-drone capabilities, because 'we've been looking for them for a few years, since civilian targets on our territory have been bombed – accidentally, but they are being bombed.' Fota points out that the Port of Constanța is 'crippled' by Russian attacks in the Black Sea, and insurance premiums have increased more than tenfold, from $200,000 to $2.5 million, which 'is killing our import-export trade'. [1]
Iulian Fota believes that things would have been much better if NATO had sent warships to the Black Sea to deter Russia. However, this initiative is blocked by Turkey, which controls the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits and refuses to allow warships into the Black Sea. Moreover, Turkey prefers to keep its warships in the Mediterranean, where it has strategic stakes related to energy flows from Africa. [1]
'Klaus Iohannis bears major responsibility' Fota said in 2015, when the president increased the army budget. He should have seen it through to the end, drawn a line, and convened all political elites around a table to decide on concrete measures, similar to Poland, which classified the annexation of Crimea as an existential threat and accelerated military buildup from the first months onward. [1]
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