2024-07-17 08:30:20
The Romanian government intends to request a loan of up to $2 billion from the United States to purchase military equipment and develop the defense industry.
As reported by Day.Az with reference to TASS, this was reported to the Hotnews.ro portal by government sources.
“The government will most likely send a letter of intent to Washington next week, stating its desire to seek a loan of up to $2 billion,” these sources said. “We don’t know if it will be $2 billion, but we want to get as much as possible.”
Earlier, the US administration announced the provision of a similar loan to Poland. Such loans are provided within the framework of the US Foreign Military Financing program. The Romanian side is interested in the loan, among other things, because of the low interest rate – 3%. The consent of the American side must be received before October, when the financial year ends.
The sources specified that the negotiations on the loan have been ongoing for several months. The Ministry of National Defense is interested in the loan – for the purchase of military equipment, and the Ministry of Economy – for the development of the defense industry, the portal notes. In particular, this concerns the production of 120 mm and 155 mm shells in Romania, as well as ammunition for Abrams tanks for the whole of Europe. The loan is not related to the project to create a gunpowder production plant, which is being implemented with Germany.