Strategic decision for Romania's security: Parliament approves US request, AUR says "no"

The US can send refueling planes and defensive equipment to the Mihail Kogălniceanu base, according to the decision approved yesterday by the plenary of Parliament with 272 votes in favor, 18 against, 5 abstentions and 2 MPs who expressed the option not to vote. The vote in Parliament demonstrated that the pro-Trump and pro-MAGA steps taken by AUR leader George Simion in the last two years were a facade, as long as the deputies and senators of his political party opposed the request sent by the US, voting against it.

George Simion's position on the request sent by the US was clearly expressed in his speech delivered from the Parliament tribune: "This is a decision taken on our knees that affects the destiny of a nation. Our oath of allegiance was and is to the Romanian people and not to another entity. That is why we cannot vote and do not agree to Nicuşor Dan's letters and guarantees. We have no guarantee that the purpose and intentions are only defensive and that someone will defend these military bases, and we do not know many other things. We have the responsibility to ensure that no citizen is put at risk. The risk analysis must be done urgently, because we must remain a safe country. We value the strategic partnership with the US, but we have the duty and responsibility to protect Romanians from war and we have the duty to tell them the truth. We cannot guarantee that at this moment there are no security risks for them. (...) If you admire a trend like MAGA and resonate with it, you do not have to be a slavish, as some in power are."

There is no mistake. The above words are spoken by exactly the same politician who, on January 21, 2026, had no shame in cutting a cake in the shape of Greenland covered by the US flag, practically endorsing the global policy of President Donald Trump. Only two months after that moment, George Simion poses as a sovereignist, who allows himself the luxury of not responding to the request sent by the US, that is, by the Trump Presidential Administration.

The other representatives of the self-proclaimed sovereignists in the Romanian Parliament also expressed themselves in the same tone as George Simion. Anamaria Gavrilă, the president of the POT, declared that she respects "the relationship with the strategic partner, but will not participate in this vote, because it is a masquerade, organized by a disoriented president and an irresponsible CSAT”.

SOS representative, Mihai Ţiu, stated: "How can you vote for something you don't know what you are voting for. (...) We have NATO partners, like Turkey and Spain, who said no. As long as troops are entering Romanian territory, you must tell us for what exercises. Do you know what these troops will do? Or have you accepted on your knees the message sent by the US? I ask the President of Romania to tell us why these troops are being sent and whether they are returning to the US or going elsewhere.”

• The governing coalition voted for the request sent by the US

Unlike the representatives of the three parties above, the parliamentarians of the governing coalition showed that Romania is not entering the war, that there is no threat to our country and that the Americans will only send defensive equipment.

Sorin Grindeanu, President of the Chamber of Deputies and PSD President, said that "the approval of the US request is a natural and necessary gesture, a clear signal that our country respects its commitments and is a serious partner, capable of contributing to its own security and that of its allies”.

The PSD President stated: "Our main strategic ally is the one that continues to provide us with the most solid security umbrella in the face of external threats. Today, the peace and security that we enjoy are largely the result of the partnership with the US. The vote for this decision is a vote for Romania's real security, a proof of responsibility, consistency and maturity as an allied state. Authentic sovereignty is not built through isolation or symbolic gestures, but through stability, solid alliances and decisions that protect the national interest in the long term”.

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, the president of the PNL, said: "I assure you that this proposal is in the interest of our country, for the safety of Romanians, it is a responsible proposal, which shows that Romania is a reliable ally in this part of the world. Think about what it means to make important decisions for the country. They cannot be made with vuvuzelas, but with responsibility.”

The last sentence of the Prime Minister's speech referred to the fact that, throughout yesterday's plenary session, the parliamentarians of the three opposition parties blew vuvuzelas and tried to cover the speech of the representatives of the governing coalition, which led the chairman of the session, Sorin Grindeanu, to interrupt the debates and proceed directly to the vote.

The Minister of National Defense, Radu Miruţă, also expressed his support for accepting the request sent by the US, who declared from the Parliament tribune: "It is not about getting Romania into war, nor about becoming a target, nor about becoming weaker. That is probably why AUR, SOS and POT are manifesting themselves like this today. What is being put to the vote is an increase in Romania's defense capacity. We are talking about technical defense capabilities that will come and will increase the degree of deterrence of those who look with glazed eyes at Romania. Romania is not the country that will leave defense capabilities to the whims of the masses. Increasing these capabilities is a responsibility and not a whim.”

Representatives of the governing coalition also said that the Parliament's vote is necessary because it is not about a simple adjustment of a military presence, but about a distinct mission, that the Americans will not carry out any attack from Romania and that the partnership with the US is not an à la carte menu, from which you only choose what suits you.

• Nicuşor Dan: "I emphasize that this equipment is defensive and that it is not equipped with actual weapons”

Regarding the decision approved by Parliament following the letter sent by President Nicuşor Dan, we note that the subject was on the agenda of the National Defense Council meeting yesterday morning, which agreed to the request made by the US.

After the CSAT meeting, President Nicuşor Dan stated that there is no risk for our country to be attacked by Tehran and that the decision taken will increase Romania's security.

Nicuşor Dan stated: "The third point of today's discussion in the CSAT was the temporary deployment of some American military equipment and forces in Romania. It concerns refueling planes, as has already been discussed in public, some monitoring equipment and some satellite communications equipment, the latter in correlation with the Deveselu shield. I emphasize that this equipment is defensive and I emphasize that it is not equipped with actual weapons. In technical terms, it is said that it is non-kinetic equipment. It will be (...) deployed based on the partnership agreement between Romania and the United States and represents a collaboration between Romania and the United States, similar these days to a collaboration that other NATO countries are doing. (...) I emphasize that it is equipment that increases Romania's security. So I assure Romanians that they have no reason to worry, their country is a safe country, even safer.”

Regarding the request made by the US, there was more information in the media, according to sources, according to which the White House Administration would have also requested the sending of fighter jets to our country, but the political sources consulted by the BURSA newspaper told us, after the meeting of the two defense committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, before the plenary session of Parliament, that, as is evident from the letter sent by President Nicuşor Dan, it is only about American "refueling planes and communication equipment”.

Suspicions regarding the real request made by the US were also fueled by the fact that on the agenda published on the Chamber of Deputies website for last night's joint plenary session, the letter sent by President Nicuşor Dan to Parliament was not published in the documents section, being classified, unlike the other two items on the agenda.

According to information published in the media by the time of going to press, the United States will send about 400-500 soldiers to Romania, along with observation equipment, drones and aerial refueling aircraft. Moreover, the US request approved by the CSAT and Parliament targeted two air bases in Romania - Mihail Kogălniceanu and Câmpia Turzii, according to sources cited by HotNews.

The Câmpia Turzii air base will be home to observation and intelligence gathering systems, more precisely drones, as well as refueling aircraft that cannot be accommodated at the Kogălniceanu base for logistical reasons, according to the cited source. We point out that the US has deployed a detachment of MQ-9 Reaper drones to the Câmpia Turzii base.

Regarding how our country is preparing for a potential threat from Iran, with the deployment of additional US troops, official sources told HotNews that "the threat remains the same as 2 days ago".

We would like to point out that currently there are already approximately 1,100-1,200 American soldiers in our country, and the majority, approximately 700, are at the Mihail Kogălniceanu base. The US maintains a military presence at Câmpia Turzii, with approximately 100-150 soldiers and a detachment with MQ-9 Reaper drones. The Americans occasionally send fighter jets to that base, which have participated in various joint exercises under the NATO umbrella.