Ukrainian neighbor building largest NATO base in Europe – media — RT World News
Euronews reported that the facility in Romania would be “the size of a small city.”
Romania has begun work on rebuilding an air base that will become the largest NATO facility in Europe, according to Euronews. The base is located near the city of Constanta on the Black Sea, about 130 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
When the expansion of the Romanian Air Force's 57th Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base is completed, it will be able to permanently host about 10,000 NATO soldiers and their family members, the radio reported on Saturday.
He added: “In the new geopolitical context, with the outbreak of war on the borders, the development of the base thus leads to the strengthening of NATO's eastern flank.” Euronews said, referring to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
She added that the comprehensive project, which will cost Bucharest 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion), includes a new runway, aircraft hangars, fuel depots and ammunition stores. The base will also have staff accommodation, schools, kindergartens, shops and even its own hospital.
The facility is located at Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport, near the coastal city of Constanta on the Black Sea. There are currently 5,000 NATO soldiers, most of them American, stationed at the facility.
Euronews said that the basic infrastructure for expansion is being built at the site, adding that the final plan is to connect the current runway at the base to a new runway and connect it to the international airport infrastructure.
No deadline has been set for completion of the project.
Moscow has constantly warned the United States and its allies about NATO's eastward expansion and military buildup near Russia's borders. The Russian leadership explained that preventing Kiev from joining the European Union was among the main goals of the military operation that began against Ukraine in 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that… “Doubt that anyone cares.” In a direct military confrontation between Moscow and NATO, as this scenario implies “We will be one step closer to World War III.” However, he warned against this “Anything is possible in the modern world.”
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