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>> romania's foreign minister, couple of weeks before the nato military alliance summit in washington, d.c. at w member. this is about an hour. >> i'm glad i had that effect on people. good m of you particularly thanks to coming for an in-person eventorning to hudson institute, scolding 95 degrees out. it's great to see you all. i would like to welcome those of you who are watching on our streaming service online at hudson.org and those tuned in across the country v welcome to the hudson institute and today's event featuring the

foreign minister of madame minister in 2004 your of nato said that his nation sa romania is a european countrywith a transalantic vocation and you really have lived that vocatices have served alongside american troops in iraq and afghanistan taking 30 casualties, 30 killed in action many more casualties in both of those conflicts youor remain one to have largest donors where true presence in helping stability in the ball balkins, just this week, presented a new report on burden sharing, romania has said 2.25% and 30% to spending equipment and we thank you for your commitment to burdens a border state to ukraine you a leading role and ukraine for all those reasons, i think your may

describe rp with the united states and strategic partnership that's never been healthier. i'd like to also think that the relationship between hudson institute ander been healthier and we thank you very much for your close partnership and your with our team here in washington in april we had partnering with your embassy on the hudson central eastern strategy summit and ambassador was gracious ough to open his home for closing di and american privateia sector attendees and public intellectuals but we don't just do events, mamee we also do publications and soll oplug briefly a m that mat boise and the new geopolitics research networksew ukraine published in april the battle for the black sea is not over, ere are a copies outside and if you and i thought i

would pitch a new policy memo that mydriy put together and released this week how the u.s. can beat the kremlin in moldova and also on hudson.org and it's so hot off thesshu fact, it isn't off the presses, i just printed this offne. it is o recent and current. >> you have served as foreign minister since 2023 and more presidential adviser for november 2021 to june country in a number of different roles throughout your career include to go hel shepherd the chapters on energy, taxation and trade during romania's accession and first

romania president of the council in eu in 2019. we are delighted to have you here in person. last time it was virtually and after a few opening remark which is you'll make follow the from -- from the podium. before that, national security adviser to senator rubio. madame minister, floor is yours and thereafter we will have a fireside chat. thank you very much forhere. [applause] >> good morning. ladies and gentlemen it's a privilege being here today and able to share some of our views about the fundamental importance sea in the current geopolitical environment and there is a significant overlap analysis

and yes black sea is not over. o the fact that the black sea region is fundamental for u.s. atlantic security is a point that romania has been making within nato, within the eu our region, the region of the black sea is a vital corridor for the movement of goods and resources both on the east-west and north-south axis including energy and ukrainian grain and oth products for world markets. black sea europe with central asia and serves as get away to the middle east. it holds significant energymmense

economic potential. it is by three nato lines and several nato partners, it's also it is by human per state and candidate member states. of russia as i said all the states are eithertes or aspire to be. ntion today i started from the key assessment used by the u.s. administration in describingwar today namely that w found our saying at an inflection point and rumania shares this assessment howeverhis inflection point is not only a time in history butds ouboundary today the keygeopolitical

inflection point is the black seas region. and then expend upon, first the black sea the region where great powers, changes theng international order and have potential. second political aid to reestablish a sphere of influence in the black sea region goes beyon challenging the rules based international order. it an attempt to create a to this order and the final result will be global significance. third, the persistence and ignificance of most are

on the international order have led to alignment that share revisionist foreign policy no need to say who are they.china, iran, north korea all in one way or another present in the black sea region and acting in support of russia attempt tot and replace the principle of global governance, fourth supporting ukrai indispensable but insufficient condition for rules base international order. in the absence of regional approach we risk revisiting the same issues a few years down line facing new aggression in the black sea a long-timerosperous and connected black sean and just oh to kindly invite you history

2008, 2014o 2022. fifth, active u.s. leadership, nato, regional alliance and partner is indispensable for long-term security and)wence of the black sea region. the u.s. black sea security and strategy will be instrumental in this regard. i like other regions of the world where active and aggression action against the international order below the threshold of full war the black sea is as we speak the location

of aggressio great power. russia's aggression are global, acute and mutually reinforcing. all major principle that helppost cold war order are being challenged by russia in the black sea region. international law, intent entity, freedom of few issue. for my second argument i would like to draw the black sea stggression has clear political aims. it to create alternative regional order where states have great powers unilaterally against their will and trade and technology are weponized by, by the states. the final outcome of russia's

challenge to the rules base intern black sea will be mirrored globally. have profound and direct implication and effects security not only on our security but also on u.s. u.s. capacity to lead a diverse global coalition in support of the rules bay international order. this brings me to myhi argument. russia aggressions againste continue all major actors currently challenging the base international order have gradually ashrined vanned simultaneous active involvement region in support of russian aggression. it's supplying drones and technologies andupplying ammunition, china's companies are still there so they are

present in the black they lynch or share technologies such as food and technology dependencies, climate change vulnerabiliti fight against inflation or corruption and credit consequences for global competition. in our view,he region is bookcase of how then challenges listed in the current en u.s. national security intersect, we have national competitors lining in support aggression i including by leveraging challenges in their revisionist goals so thi is key development. it lin to all other geopolitical hot spot indenture atlantic securit to indo pacific security. helping ukraine

is indispensable condition for defending thenal rule order however, it is not enough in the absence of regional approach with this because i said revisiting the same issues a years down the line facing the aggression in the black sea. russia is willing and able to directly change it in the national norms other powers aligned with this r effort and enable attempts. to avoid the scenario, we need to shape the regional environment in a way that makes -- makes it impossible for most to renew its aggressive policies. this brings me to my final point, choosing a secure and

resilience black sea region, u.s. inv support coordinated, of course with us, with eu, nato and regional allies and partners. the u.s. clearly placed -- clearly placed interest developments in the regions. it has interest in denying revisionist powers and fair of influence. capacity to spectrum of security stabi energy with all the -- with all regional allies and partners is unmatched. for my country

romaniains ready to contribute to future development and implementation u.s. black sea strategy. [applause] >> thank you madame foreign minister for the overview and i like the framing of the need for secure prosperous and connected black sea region and so in my conversation here with you i think i want to make sure we touch on all of those 3 elements. unfortunately as i was preparing for this and then t that framing, i think a lot of the topics fall security unfortunately because of the events that you described so we

broaden it. the one thing that i wanted to t up front that we are not going to get into today that i want to flag i think it's important historical context for the u.s.-romania relationship. when i was president for europe -- radio liberty we returned to romania rel romanian language and manyab visit and the thing that the americans need to u romania's freedom and it's now in their dna and that an important bond given the work for radio europe during mm i had this experience in my countries i operate in but romania was most servant. with tears in their eyes, the role that american played during a very dark perds asking to do more and i was excited that we were able to return during my tenure. i think that relates to why romania how

ted during that time so it's great to be with you. so maybe i will start broadly just with the state of the u.s.-romania relationship which you touched on but i was struck by your note that u.s. engagement needs to be reliable predictable and not to get partisan or say make you say anything toond u.s. is always distracted u.s. were very engaged in support of ukraine right now, china is growing challenge, drawing attention this city, what's your blunt assessment of trust-romania relationship, what more would you like to see from the u.s. not just administration but fromvate sector and from the congress. give us a sense of what your conversations have been about on those topics during your visit you for the question. may i start with revealing a secret, when i was very young

and always my parents say don tell anyone that, you know, but a voice of freedom for and did a job. we are celebrating this year 27 of partnership with u.s., very important romania because romania is not only european country, it's a strong partner of u.s. and strategic partnership we have with u.s. in one of our foreign pillars so it's foreign policy the bilateral relations is important for rumania especially in the current co face illegal and expected war of border

because romania has the longest land border with ukraine our neighbor and we, of course, priority is to focus on -- on our support in strong coordination with the u.s. but also with the lies. we have a very strongtion in a lot of area, security first because as i said as nato, we face this challenge with the war of aggression but not only in the economic field but energy, yestda -- forum organized where we diskissed and i the economic opportunities offered by rumania to the american companies.

we are grateful to the for the military presence in rumania, very important current context andr coordination necessary current situation. we have a of -- the trade is growing but i think there is huge potential for u.s. company was presenting rumania's opportunities, i underlined the geopolitical role and geogra rumania exactly what i said in my intervention about the black sea. rumania is connecting t blacksea, we are working

considerably improved the infrastructure with ukraine and republic of moldova. now we are helping ukraine to transit. relation with strengthening the cooperation with the two countries. so as memb eu, we have a stable legislation we some member of nato, celebrating 20 years of being a nato member. we are in the process so i think all the ingredientsportant al to strengthen the cooperation and rumania has all of the ingredients for being important destination

for the u.s. investment focusing now on increasing the defense production, artificial intelligence, it imagine working in u.s. c also we have a lot of u.s. rumania using while our teenagers and stud wents think there is -- there is a lot of potential to expand our cooperation. we have this project i can speak for user. it shows hownt the bilateral relation with the u.s. we have this important project in energy and energy and nuclear power plant but also

pilot program, so, yes there is a lot to -- to work lot of important that we today this strategy dialogue where we discuss ways to strength tennessee bilateral cooperation. >> let's pick up on your coming upon ukraineaybe also if you can talk about the impact of the war on rumania rumanns and thought having a war next door refugee

impact, the energy impact and how it has of your citizens so talk both about assistance to ukraiutne b also what the impact has been rumromania ns? what russia did is illegally unexpected unprovoked. so -- and ukraine is our neighbor, is our partner and it'srt and to continue to support them. rumanians from the very beginning received ukrainians until now more than 6 million of

uk of rumania, of course, not of them remain in territory 80,000re now in rumania. they are benefitingection meaning they have access to school, to health care, to jobs, so they have all t protection necessary, necessary proion to that, we have helped ukraine to transit grains, very important because they need financial resources for their budget. since the grain initiative over last year, rumania stepped in and invest a lot in the infrastructure, the black sea to help ukraine to its --

37 million have transited rumania, 70% syria solidarity lanes, solidarity lanes, we put place and coordination with u.s. in order to support 37, could be used in the future process of reconstruction of ukraine. we are protecting their sheeps. we have concluded agreement. free navigation because russia as i said is challenging everything in the black sea and

the reality is that the war is around the black sea. so in addition to that,q[j of training ukraine, of cours our pilot and ukrainian pilots. we also have chaining of their soldier under the new mission so humanitarian support time russia attacks the energy infrastructure helping providing them with with -- this is what we supporting ukraine. the reality that the war is really -- when russia massively attacks the infrastructure -- very close to us. the -- not to to

export. by way putting in risk also the global food security. it's 4 500 -- we see the we have until now six i with russians so crimea is very close. the risk for maldova there. so this these are the consequences to have war. we just see it's t your border with the ourself, and this is why it's so importt to support and continue to support ukraine of course there are a lot of consequences. i mean we all know in terms ofenergy crisis, inflation you

know, but the reality is that we have to help ukraine to win this war russiaas -- if ukraine with others as russia is doing is a death case for others together be strong in supporting ukraine. hi the ground. we feel the war. no one expecte have a war on the european continent. okay, we have all kind of situation w we have frozen conflicts we have the, you know, 2008, then we had 2014 all this situation but no

one expected a war on the european continent. after the after joining nato, after joining the euur focus was on having our people moving around. also have a responsibility to support, joint responsibility to support and to end this war so this is the way we see -- this is so important to explain whathe situation far a and give impression. this war is russia. it is not it regional european and global consequences for all of us because it's t, of course, security in our region in the black sea but euro

atlantic security because it's challenging as rules base international order what they have in mind or they had in mind and continues to have in mind is to go back to this interest. i dole don't want to go back there. for poland and balticeans for maldova with government, proeuropan member of the eu, the counties, the same with ukrainean -- they are fantastically job in also in despite difficulties and other countries that had -- moldova faces hybrid

war but they are doing a fantastic work in terms of reforms, so this is the regions. it is complicated we act as responsnt because this is the way to -- to act. >> i think it's worth highlighting that rumania has been remarkably resilient. some of your nei faced a lot of the same pressures have taken slightly different approach ot push nor n rumania has not responded in that way. one more question to ukraine and i want to get to maldova i think from your comments it's pretty c this, but what do you say that to those in the.s u.s. now because we have a debate here about the future of u.s. support to ukraine and about w almost two and a half years where this war will be and how it will end and parts of populist

parties who are provoking some of their governments to rein back their support for ukraine obviously a very different centrally european perspective for many governments. how does thisw war end? why do we need to focus on those maximalist goals making sure decisive, what will the impact be in the black sea region, for if russia retains crimea if ithrough force to grab a significant portion of ukrainian territory? where do you see this all playing out in the next year or two in terms of how the war will come to an end? .. .. . >> global this is very clear all of this is very clear to all of us. just looking at what happened at the u

this is a bor us is a democratic country. this is i think very useful moment in explaining whyimportant to support ukraine.would stop? third argument as i said a lot of friends of are withrussia. in ukraine. no need to these friends of russia. helping russia. in ukraine. and then, as i said it seemsfaraway. it is not. what happens there has consequences on atlantic

security. the western flank is there all thesflank challenging nato. of us to stay together. russia will use this war in ukraine as a t case. look at what russia doing in ukraine. if russia that means leaders and expected/a they are the same. this is so important for us in democratic countries to stay together to support ukrainexy o tse.

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