The President of Romania says he and the US have struck a deal for a US military presence in his country. According to Reuters news service, Traian Basescu has agreed to let the American military use sites on the Black Sea coast and possibly others. Basescu says US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice will visit Romania next month to put ink on paper. Romania allowed US forces to use one of its air bases during the buildup for the war in Iraq. (Read our article about the shift from Western Europe to the south and east.)
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.