US military equipment sent to the Mihail Kogalniceanu army base in eastern Romania (Photo: AFP/ VNA)

Speaking to the press after talks with his counterparts in the so-called Bucharest Nine, Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said it was essential to work to grow the US presence in the region on the eastern flank in terms of troops and equipment.

He also called for “more air defense, more anti-missile capacities on their territories, more surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence means. He added if they had a strong defense, they would be able to project a strong deterrence.

Ministers from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia reiterated calls for boosting the defense capabilities of the region which borders Ukraine.

The B9 countries also pledged further support for Ukraine as well as Ukraine’s bid to join NATO.