Romania and US Presidents Meet at White House, Highlight NATO Partnership and Support for Ukraine

President Joe Biden hosted Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania, at the White House on Tuesday. The two leaders noted their joint cooperation on issues such as international security, the economy, and continued support for Ukraine, the White House website reports.

The meeting in the Oval Office was to mark two decades of Romania's membership in NATO.

President Biden thanked Romania for its hospitality to U.S. troops and for its commitment to security on NATO's eastern flank, including in the Black Sea region.

At the start of the meeting, Biden joked that he had advocated for Romania's accession to NATO when he was a senator "180 years ago" and said the alliance was stronger for the country's inclusion. Biden noted that Romanian and American troops have fought and trained side by side, and praised Romania for "stepping up" to help Ukraine fight Russia's military invasion.

"The United States stands ready to support you," Biden told Iohannis.

In turn, Iohannis thanked Biden for hosting him and called the transatlantic alliance "the cornerstone of our democratic way of life." He said that he intends to make progress on visa waivers for Romanian travellers to the US, but that the most important topic is "finding a way to restore peace" in Europe and ensuring that Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not win.

Biden hailed Romania's defence investment, which consistently exceeds its NATO commitment to spend at least 2 per cent of its GDP on defence. The leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine as it defends itself against senseless Russian aggression, and President Biden expressed his appreciation for Romania's support of Ukrainian refugees and efforts to bring Ukrainian grain to market.

Both leaders agreed that bilateral cooperation on energy security is crucial. They noted that this is one of the many areas of our growing economic and trade relations.