Romania, a NATO member, and Washington reached an agreement Thursday to purchase 32 F-35 aircraft, an unprecedented investment for the Ukraine-adjacent nation. More than two and a half years after Russia invaded Ukraine, Romania is the most recent country to purchase the combat jets. It is the most costly military acquisition for the impoverished eastern European nation, which has grown strategically significant since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with an estimated cost of $6.5 billion authorized by the Romanian parliament.
