Readout of the Vice President's Call with Romanian President Traian Basescu

Vice President Joe Biden spoke today with Romanian President Traian Basescu to discuss bilateral relations, the NATO Summit in Wales, and the situation in Ukraine. Both leaders expressed their satisfaction with the strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Romania, and discussed the valuable contributions that Romania is making to international security. Vice President Biden and President Basescu agreed that NATO’s collective defense planning needs to be comprehensive and responsive to threats that may emanate from NATO’s east, south or southeast, and the two leaders exchanged views on their support and vision for NATO’s Readiness Action Plan that will be agreed to at the Summit in Wales. The two leaders also discussed the situation in Ukraine, and expressed concern that any attempt by Russia to intervene in Ukraine under the guise of delivering humanitarian aid would be considered a breach of international law and violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.